{{short description|Type of cheese curds originating in India}} {{distinguish|text=chickpea (Hindi, Odisha and Nepali: ''Chhana'')}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox food | name = Chhena | image = Chhena Ball - Rasgulla Preparation - Digha - East Midnapore - 2015-05-02 9555.JPG | caption = Chhena formed into balls to make rosogolla | country = Indian subcontinent | creator = | type = Cheese | main_ingredient = Milk | calories = 719 calories | other = | serving_size = 1 cup | fat = 9g | protein = 8g | carbohydrate = 10g | national_cuisine = }} '''Chhena''' ({{IPA|hns|ˈtʃʰeːna|lang}}) ଛେନ୍ନା in Odia or '''chhana''' ({{IPA|bn|tʃʰana|lang}}) ছানা in Bengali, is a kind of acid-set cheese originating in the Indian subcontinent that is made from water buffalo<ref name="Dalby">Dalby, A 2009, ''Cheese: A Global History'', Reaktion Books, p. 73, {{ISBN|9781861897053}}</ref><ref name="Kapoor">Kapoor, S & Kapoor, A 2006, ''Sanjeev Kapoor's No-oil Vegetarian Cooking'', Popular Prakashan, p. 118, {{ISBN|9788179912928}}</ref> or cow<ref name="Kapoor"/> milk by adding food acids such as lemon juice and calcium lactate instead of rennet and straining out the whey.<ref name="Amitraj2016">{{cite journal |last1=Amitraj |first1=K |last2=Khamrui |first2=K |last3=Devaraja |first3=HC |last4=Mandal |first4=S |title=Optimisation of ingredients for a low‐fat, Chhana ‐based dairy spread using response surface methodology |journal=International Journal of Dairy Technology |date=August 2016 |volume=69 |issue=3 |page=393 |doi=10.1111/1471-0307.12272}}</ref>
Chhena is pressed and may be further processed to make paneer, a form of farmer cheese, or formed into balls to make desserts such as khira sagara, chhena kheeri, rasabali and ras malai, as well as sweets from the Indian subcontinent (''mitha'' or ''Misti'' or ''mithai'') such as chhena jalebi, chhena gaja, chhena poda, pantua, rosogolla, and sandesh. For the sweets, mostly cow milk chhena is used.
Chhena is produced in Odisha, West Bengal, eastern India and Bangladesh, and it is generally made from cow or buffalo milk. In India, it is a legal requirement for Chhena to have no more than 70% of moisture content, and 50% of milk fat in dry material<ref name="FAO1990">{{cite book |title=The Technology of traditional milk products in developing countries. |date=1990 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |location=Rome |isbn=9251028990}}</ref> The production of chhena in India was estimated to be 200,000 tonnes annually in 2009. Production is highest in the state of Uttar Pradesh, while consumption is highest in the state of West Bengal.<ref>William, S & Aoyagi, A 2010, ''History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in South Asia / Indian Subcontinent (1656–2010): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook'', Soyinfo Center. p. 1035. {{ISBN|978-1-928914-31-0}}.</ref>
Sahu and Das<ref>Sahu and Das (as cited in Kumar, J & Gupta, V. K. & Kumar, S & Kumar, S 2015, 'Effect of coagulants on the quality of chhana and rasogolla obtained from admixture of buffalo milk and butter milk, ''Journal of Food Science and Technology'', vol. 52, no. 3, p. 1736)</ref> conducted a study of milk consumption in India and found that 6% of milk produced in India is used in the chhena production process. It is closely related to paneer cheese as they both share a similar production process, but it is kneaded when it is still warm in the manufacturing process. The result is a cheese with a 'smooth, whipped-cream consistency', unlike paneer, which is firm.<ref>Carrol, R 2018, ''Home Cheese Making, 4th Edition: From Fresh and Soft to Firm, Blue, Goat's Milk, and More; Recipes for 100 Favorite Cheeses'', Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA, p. 87</ref>
== History == thumb|The Four Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism The Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, contain a reference to 'dadhanvat', which has been translated as referencing an 'abundance of curds'.<ref>Sen, C. T 2014, Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India, Reaktion Books, London, United Kingdom, p. 43</ref> Chitra Banerji states that in the life of Krishna there is reference to dairy products such as 'milk, butter, ghee and yogurt', but not to chhena.<ref name="Daniyal2015">{{cite news |last=Daniyal |first=S |date=4 August 2015 |title=Who deserves credit for the rasgulla? Bengalis, Odiyas...or the Portuguese? |url=https://scroll.in/article/745871/who-deserves-credit-for-the-rasgulla-bengalis-odiyas-or-the-portuguese |work=Scroll.in |access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref> Catherine Donnelly, author of ''The Oxford Companion to Cheese'' (2016), said that Vedic literature refers to cheese production made with the aid of barks of palash tree (Butea monosperma), fruits like jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana) and creepers like putika with coagulating enzymes, "as well as Dadhanvat, a cheeselike substance made with and without pores". According to Donnelly, these plant substances may have contained rennet-like enzymes and notes that the "Vedas may include some of the earliest known references to rennet-coagulated cheeses".<ref>''The Oxford Companion to Cheese'', 2016. p. 373.</ref> ''Lokopakara'' text dated to the 10th century gives two recipes for coagulated cheeses made from buffalo milk for making sweets using plants and roots. According to the text, buffalo milk was coagulated using roots of amaranth plant or leaves of marsh barbel (hygrophila auriculata); the soft cheese produced in this manner was called ''Haluvuga''. In the second recipe, buffalo milk was coagulated with Indian mallow (abutilon indicum) or country mallow (sida cordifolia) and was made into balls for sweets.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Ammini |title=Lokopakara – Part III Recipes |url=https://peppertrail.com/recipes-from-lokopakara/ |website=Peppertrail |access-date=22 September 2012}}</ref> The Manasollasa, one of the medieval Indian cooking texts, was written during the reign of King Somesvara III in the 12th century.<ref>Sen, C. T 2014, Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India, Reaktion Books, London, United Kingdom, p. 139</ref> The Manasollasa details souring milk and draining the curds to make chhena and using them as a base for sweets.<ref>Sen, C. T 2014, Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India, Reaktion Books, London, United Kingdom, p. 145</ref> The text goes on to stipulate mixing the cheese with rice flour and shaping it into various balls, and then deep-frying to make sweets. Based on texts such as ''Charaka Samhita'', BN Mathur wrote that the earliest evidence of a heat-acid coagulated milk product in India can be traced to 75–300 CE.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5lpMAAAAYAAJ |first=K.V.S.S. |last=Rao |title=Paneer technology — A review |journal=Indian Journal of Dairy Science |volume=45 |publisher=Indian Dairy Science Association |year=1992 |page=281}}</ref> Sunil Kumar ''et al''. interpret this product as the present-day paneer or chhena.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Sunil |last2=Rai |first2=D.C. |last3=Niranjan |first3=K. |last4=Bhat |first4=Zuhaib |title=Paneer—An Indian soft cheese variant: a review |journal=Journal of Food Science and Technology |volume=51 |issue=5 |pages=821–831 |publisher=Springer |date=2011 |doi=10.1007/s13197-011-0567-x |quote="People during the Kusana and Saka Satavahana periods (AD75–300) used to consume a solid mass, whose description seems to the earliest reference to the present day paneer" |pmid=24803688 |pmc=4008736}}</ref>
According to another theory, the Portuguese may have introduced the technique of "breaking" milk with acid to Bengal in the 17th century. Before their arrival in 1517, curdling cow's milk was considered taboo to the adherents of Hinduism in Bengal.<ref>Wahab, A 2020, 'A brief introduction to Bengal's Gastronomic History', ''The Daily Star'', February 24, viewed 21 October 2020, http://www.thedailystar.net</ref> Before the arrival of the Portuguese in Bengal, sweets were made with khoa, or condensed milk which was solidified.<ref name="Daniyal2015" /> Bengalis learnt how to prepare cheese for the Portuguese, which inspired chhena.<ref>O'Brien, C 2013, The Penguin Food Guide to India, Penguin Books Limited, New Delhi</ref> Thus, according to this theory, Indian acid-set cheeses such as paneer and chhena were first prepared in Bengal, under Portuguese influence.<ref>Chapman, P 2009, ''India: Food and Cooking: The Ultimate Book on Indian Cuisine'', New Holland, p. 33, {{ISBN|9781845376192}}</ref> A type of smoked cheese called Bandel Cheese was introduced by the Portuguese in Bengal, which is distinct from chenna and paneer.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tamang |first1=Jyoti Prakash |title=Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of India: Science History and Culture |date=2 March 2020 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-15-1486-9 |page=676 |language=en}}</ref>
Chhena cheese-based sweets were created by confectionery makers known as 'moira'/'moyra' in Bengal. The Halwai caste has long been associated with the production of chhena-based products.<ref name="Minz2016">{{cite book |last1=Minz |first1=PS |last2=Singh |first2=RRB |editor1-last=McElhatton |editor1-first=A |editor2-last=El Idrissi |editor2-first=M |chapter=Modernization of Manufacturing Process for Traditional Indian Dairy Products |title=Modernization of traditional food processes and products |year=2016 |publisher=Springer Science+Business Media |isbn=978-1-4899-7669-7 |page=162}}</ref> It is traditional for Bengalis to end a meal with a sweet, which is known as 'madhurena samapayet'.<ref>Bladholm, L 2016, ''The Indian Grocery Store Demystified: A Food Lover's Guide to All the Best Ingredients in the Traditional Foods of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh'', St. Martin's Publishing Group, New York, p. 181</ref> Today, some traditional sweet makers such as Annapurna Bhandar in New Delhi continue to make fresh chhena in their stores as a base for their products with locally sourced milk.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ghosh |first=T |date=14 May 2018 |title=Families in Food: Sugar Highs and Lows |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/families-in-food-sugar-highs-and-lows-5155358/ |work=Indian Express |access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref> thumb|Sandesh, the most popular chhena-based sweet In the 1990s, chhena was largely produced in country milk sheds by farmers and sent by road and rail to manufacturers.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Technology of traditional milk products in developing countries |year=1990 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |location=Rome |isbn=92-5-102899-0}}</ref> Batch methods of production are utilised by smaller producers, with their methods and resulting products having different characteristics and flavours compared to commercially produced products.<ref name="Minz2016" /> The most popular product produced with chhena is sandesh, a dessert.<ref>Akther, S, & Shahriar, S, & Alam, Md & Matin, A, & Sarwar, N 2017, 'Comparative studies on the quality of sandesh from cow milk chhana with soy-milk chhana addition'. ''Ukrainian Food Journal'', vol. 6, no. 3, p. 515</ref> In recent times, chhena products have become a niche, competing with introduced foreign foods and desserts.<ref>Jat, BS, Jha, A, Jafri, M, Rai, DC, & Gautam, AK 2014, 'Development of a Process for Manufacture of the Shelf-Stable Chhana Roll and Its Physicochemical Properties', ''Journal of Food Processing and Preservation'', vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 1660</ref>
Liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation are actively reshaping the Indian cheese industry.<ref>Bhushi, K 2018, 'Farm to fingers : the culture and politics of food in contemporary India', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p. 1</ref> Traditional producers of chhena-based products are under pressure from foreign countries such as the United States of America seeking bilateral trade deals with the Indian government, especially as European-style cheeses such as mozzarella become more popular.<ref name="Srivastava2020">{{cite news |last=Srivastava |first=S |title=Dairy Farmers Stymie India’s Bilateral Trade Deal With U.S., EU |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-27/dairy-farmers-stymie-india-s-bilateral-trade-deal-with-u-s-eu |work=Bloomberg |date=27 October 2020 |access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref> Producers argue that they would not be able to compete with international dairy firms as they would have to comply with stricter sanitary and quarantine standards, which would vastly inflate costs of production.<ref name="Srivastava2020" /> Dairy farmers in India are fiercely opposed to liberalisation of the dairy sector, as they fear job losses and the collapse of small industry which still produces traditional dairy products like chhena.<ref name="Srivastava2020" />
== Production ==
India's yearly production of chhena is estimated to be 200,000 tonnes as of 2004.<ref name="Jindal2004">{{cite journal |last1=Jindal |first1=A R |last2=Shoree |first2=M |last3=Shukla |first3=F C |last4=Singh |first4=B |title=Studies on the use of chhana and paneer whey in the preparation of puras (pancakes) |journal=International Journal of Dairy Technology |date=November 2004 |volume=57 |issue=4 |page=221 |doi=10.1111/j.1471-0307.2004.00130.x}}</ref> Traditionally, chhena is made in a karahi, utilising a method similar to ricotta cheese production.<ref name="Hui2007">{{cite book |last1=Hui |first1=YH |title=Handbook of food products manufacturing |year=2007 |publisher=Wiley-interscience |location=Hoboken (N.J.) |isbn=978-0-470-04964-8 |page=640}}</ref> The Food Safety and Standards Regulation of India states that chhena is to be made from cow or buffalo milk,<ref name="Kumar2015">{{cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=J |last2=Gupta |first2=VK |last3=Kumar |first3=S |last4=Kumar |first4=S |title=Effect of coagulants on the quality of chhana and rasogolla obtained from admixture of buffalo milk and butter milk |journal=Journal of Food Science and Technology |date=March 2015 |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages=1736 |doi=10.1007/s13197-013-1146-0|pmc=4348269 }}</ref> or a blend of both milks, and the coagulation can be completed with 'sour milk, or lactic or citric acid'.<ref name="Kumar2015" /> Aged acidic whey from previous batches can also be substituted in the coagulation process to prevent waste of ingredients and streamline the production process.<ref name="Park2017">{{cite book |editor1-last=Park |editor1-first=YW |editor2-last=Hanlein |editor2-first=GFW |editor3-last=Wendorff |editor3-first=WL |title=Handbook of milk of non-bovine mammals |year=2017 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=Hoboken, NJ |isbn=978-1-119-11027-9 |edition=Second}}</ref>
The cheese is prepared by first boiling the chosen milk for 10 minutes, and then introducing an acid or aged acidic whey from a prior batch when the milk has slightly cooled at 75–80 degrees Celsius. Following this step, the whey separates and floats to the top of the pan. The whey is then removed by sieving the resulting curd, the chhena, through a muslin cloth.<ref name="Menghwar2019">{{cite journal |last1=Menghwar |first1=DR |last2=Bhutto |first2=SA |last3=Ahmed |first3=T |title=Quantitative studies on chhana (soft cheese) prepared from cow and buffalo milk |journal=Abasyn Journal Life Sciences |date=25 August 2019 |volume=2 |issue=2 |page=56 |doi=10.34091/AJLS.2.2.3 |url=https://ajlifesciences.com/admineditor/papers/19.pdf}}</ref> The pressing of the resulting curd mostly relies on gravity to separate it from the whey,<ref name="Hui-2">Hui, Y.H. 2007, Handbook of Food Products Manufacturing, Wiley, Hoboken, N.J, p. 639</ref> but weighted boards can also be used to speed up the process.<ref name="Park2017"/> The longer the chhena is drained, the firmer the resulting final product becomes. Chhena is typically made in a small-scale batch process, but it is possible to make it with a continuous process like ricotta cheese in commercial production settings.<ref>Hui, Y.H, N 2007, Handbook of Food Products Manufacturing, Wiley, Hoboken, N.J, p. 639</ref> [[File:Homemade rasogolla.jpg|thumb|Homemade rosogolla, a famous chhena-based sweet]] In the case of sweet production, the cheese is drained, kneaded on a wooden board and mixed with sugar and a binding agent such as arrowroot or semolina flour.<ref name="Bladholm-2000">{{cite book |last1=Bladholm |first1=Linda |title=The Indian Grocery Store Demystified: A Food Lover's Guide to All the Best Ingredients in the Traditional Foods of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh |year=2000 |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-1-58063-143-3 |page=180}}</ref> It is common now for machines to be used for the kneading process. The chhena is then rolled into balls ready for use in confectionary making.<ref>Goldstein, D 2015, '''The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets''', Oxford University Press, Boston, Massachusetts, p. 580</ref> Some of the popular sweets and desserts that use chhena as their base include rasogolla, sandesh, chum-chum, chhana murki, chhana podo, Ras malai, chhana balushahi, and khorma/belgrami.<ref name="Kumar2015" /> Chhena has also been blended with cream and made into a commercial refrigerated spreadable cheese.<ref>Menghwar, D.R, Bhutto, S.A & Ahmed, T 2019, 'Quantitative Studies on Chhana (soft cheese) prepared from cow and buffalo milk', ''Abasyn Journal of Life Sciences'', vol. 2, no. 2, p. 57</ref> The chhena production process can be used to create a bioplastic which presents future innovation opportunities for the technology sector of India. However, this has raised ethical concerns domestically regarding food security for the wider population, as segments of the population struggle with rising food prices and malnutrition.<ref>Jefferson, MT 2020, 'Valorization of Sour Milk to Form Bioplastics: Friend or Foe?' Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 97, no. 4, pp. 1075</ref>
Nutritious beverages can be created from the whey that is typically discarded in the production process of chhena by fermenting it with bacteria cultures "Streptococcus thermophilus NCDC-74 and Yoghurt culture YC-470".<ref name="Saha2017">{{cite journal |last1=Saha |first1=P |last2=Ray |first2=PR |last3=Hazra |first3=T |title=Evaluation of quality and stability of chhana whey beverage fermented with lactic acid bacteria |journal=Asian Journal of Dairy and Food Research |date=6 June 2017 |volume=36 |issue=2 |page=112 |doi=10.18805/ajdfr.v36i02.7953|doi-access=free }}</ref> Lactic bacteria can ferment lactose into lactic acid, which means that people with dairy intolerances would be able to consume the beverages.<ref name="Saha2017" /> The whey can also be used to make puras, otherwise known as pancakes.<ref name="Jindal2004" /> The whey must be of high quality and handled hygienically, otherwise the created products may have undesirable qualities and become not suitable for consumption.<ref name="Jindal2004" /> Three million tonnes of whey<ref name="Saha2017" /> is produced each year in the chhena production process and it is typically dumped into the environment, where it is a substantial problem as a pollutant as it has a high amount of organic matter in its mass.<ref name="Saha2017" />
== Character == thumb|Chhena Toast, a popular savoury dish The consistency of the finished cheese product has been shown to differ depending on the method utilised to create the cheese.<ref>Food Safety and Standards Regulation (as cited in Kumar, Gupta, Kumar & Kumar 2015 p. 1736)</ref> Levels of milk fats under 4% create 'hard and rubbery' chhena, whilst levels over 5% result in greasy properties in the products created from it.<ref name="Park2017" /> Buffalo milk in the production process of chhena on average tends to create a larger amount of the cheese product compared to cow's milk.<ref name="FAO1990" /> However, if it is not mixed with cow's milk the result is often 'hard, chewy, rubbery', with an 'uneven texture'.<ref>Chakraborty, P, Singh, T, Shivhare, US, Basu, S, & Chakraborty, P 2020, 'Understanding the effect of milk composition and milking season on quality characteristics of chhana.' Journal of Texture Studies, vol. 1, no. 12, p. 1</ref> It is also possible to produce chhena with soy milk, with favourable results achieved in a blend with 75% cow's milk added.<ref>Akther, S, & Shahriar, S, & Alam, Md & Matin, A, & Sarwar, N 2017, 'Comparative studies on the quality of sandesh from cow milk chhana with soy-milk chhana addition'. ''Ukrainian Food Journal'', vol. 6, no. 3, p. 514</ref> Milk composition and milking season also have a significant impact on the quality of the chhena produced.<ref>Chakraborty, P, Singh, T, Shivhare, US, Basu, S, & Chakraborty, P 2020, 'Understanding the effect of milk composition and milking season on quality characteristics of chhana.' Journal of Texture Studies, vol. 1, no. 12, p. 11</ref>
Chhena typically has a texture like 'whipped cream cheese',<ref name="Bladholm-2000" /> and varies from smooth, pasty to crumbly.<ref name="Hui-2" /> Chhena is composed of fat, protein, vitamins A and D, and is low in sugar.<ref name="Menghwar2019" /> Chhena produced from cows milk is 'light yellow in colour, has a moist surface, soft body and smooth texture',<ref name="FAO1990" /> while chhena produced from buffalo milk in comparison is 'whitish in colour'.<ref name="FAO1990" /> Chhena made from these milk sources has a 'sweetish, mildly acidic taste'.<ref name="FAO1990" /> Production in higher temperatures results in a cheese that is grainy and hard, while lower temperatures produce a product which is sticky, and dries slowly.<ref name="Hui2007" /> Chhena typically is bland in taste and has an easily malleable texture. Experiments have been conducted to try to utilise chhena in the manufacturing of other products, including a spread consisting of finely processed chhena, butter and salt.<ref name="Amitraj2016" />
== Storage == thumb|Counter of Dagdusheth Halwai, a popular sweets shop which sells chhena-based products. Without adequate cold storage and safe handling, chhena spoils easily due to its high moisture content.<ref name="Agrawal, A.K 2015, p.1">Agrawal, A.K, Sandey, K.K & Sinha, G 2015, 'Drying of Chhana using Solar Energy: Physical and Thermal Properties of Dried Chhana', International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, vol. 3, no. 20, p.1</ref> Kulkarni states that 'thermoduric and thermophilic bacteria are not destroyed in the boiling process' in the manufacturing of chhena, which is a significant problem.<ref>Kulkarni 1984 (as cited in Jat, BS, Jha, A, Jafri, M, Rai, DC, & Gautam, AK 2014, 'Development of a Process for Manufacture of the Shelf-Stable Chhana Roll and Its Physicochemical Properties', ''Journal of Food Processing and Preservation'', vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 1661)</ref> The tropical climate and high humidity of India also contribute to the short shelf life of the products.<ref name="Jat2014">{{cite journal |last1=Jat |first1=BS |last2=Jha |first2=A |last3=Jafri |first3=M |last4=Rai |first4=DC |last5=Gautam |first5=AK |title=Development of a Process for Manufacture of the Shelf-Stable Chhana Roll and Its Physicochemical Properties: Shelf-Stable Chhana Roll |journal=Journal of Food Processing and Preservation |date=August 2014 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=1661 |doi=10.1111/jfpp.12128|doi-access=free }}</ref> Refrigeration makes a significant difference to the shelf life of the product, but it is quite uncommon and not readily available.<ref>De 1980 (as cited in Jat, BS, Jha, A, Jafri, M, Rai, DC, & Gautam, AK 2014, 'Development of a Process for Manufacture of the Shelf-Stable Chhana Roll and Its Physicochemical Properties', ''Journal of Food Processing and Preservation'', vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 1661)</ref> Unsuccessful studies were carried out by Agrawal, Sandey, and Sinha in turning the chhena into powder to preserve it as a dried good and prolong its shelf life, as the reconstituted product was unsuitable for use.<ref name="Agrawal, A.K 2015, p.1"/>
Bladholm writes that chhena cheese-based sweets should be 'refrigerated and eaten within 2–3 days'.<ref name="Bladholm-2000" /> Quality control is a significant issue in India, but food inspectors do not have the power to prosecute those engaging in adulteration of products in the pursuit of increasing profits or selling base ingredients that are below accepted standards. Chhena can be adulterated with starch by dishonest manufacturers, which can result in diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort.<ref>Press Trust of India 1998, 'Strict quality control must to avoid more food disasters', ''Indian Express'', September 7, viewed 12 November 2020, https://indianexpress.com</ref> Improper handling of chhena, and the products that it has been made from, have been proven to also contaminate products made from it.<ref name="Jat2014" /> A study by Maity, Jumar and Misra (2011) found the presence of E. coli in 67% of chhena based sweet samples in Kolkata.<ref>Maity, T, Kumar, R, & Misra, A 2010, 'Prevalence of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Chhana Based Indian Sweets in Relation to Public Health', Indian Journal of Microbiology, vol. 50, no. 4, p. 463</ref> E. coli in chhena-based products is resultant from 'unsanitary production, handling, storage and transportation', and is prominent in softer sweets as they have less sugar to preserve the cheese base and higher amounts of moisture.<ref>Maity, T, Kumar, R, & Misra, A 2010, 'Prevalence of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Chhana Based Indian Sweets in Relation to Public Health', Indian Journal of Microbiology, vol. 50, no. 4, p. 466</ref> These products are often sold without packaging and are produced on a small scale.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jat |first1=Balraj Singh |last2=Jha |first2=Alok |last3=Jafri |first3=Mahwash |last4=Rai |first4=Dinesh Chandra |last5=Gautam |first5=Anuj Kumar |date=2014 |title=Development of a Process for Manufacture of the Shelf-Stable Chhana Roll and Its Physicochemical Properties |journal=Journal of Food Processing and Preservation |volume=38 |issue=4 |page=1660 |doi=10.1111/jfpp.12128 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal|Food}} * Khoa * List of cheeses
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Curd Category:Indian cheeses Category:Bangladeshi cuisine Category:Acid-set cheeses Category:Cow's-milk cheeses Category:Bengali cuisine Category:Cuisine of Odisha