maalucheese

Cheese Nutrients

2008-07-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

In recent days, the overall consumption of fluid milk shows a gradual decline, with a steady increase in consumption of cheese in most of the countries. The growth of cheese consumption can be favorably compared with that of growth in milk production which is approximately 3% during 2007.

MILK FAT

The fat content in the cheese milk is adjusted to different levels so that cheese of different varieties containing varying levels of fat can be produced. Cheese, when it is fresh has a fat content of up to 12% level. The fat content in the ripened cheeses generally range between 20 and 30%. Consumers generally prefer high fat cheeses due to high fat content and this imparts a better flavour to the cheese. The fat in the dry matter content of cheese should be at least 40-50%, like Cheddar cheese so that there will be sufficient fat in the body which contributes to the typical aroma during cheese ripening by fat breakdown or lipolysis. With increasing consumer awareness about health and ill effects of excess fats, it becomes prudent to go in for “low fat cheese varieties”.

However, the low fat cheese varieties should have sufficient fat so that it will be organoleptically acceptable. Pasteurization of milk inactivates the native lipase and hence has no role to play in the cheese ripening. It is the microbial lipases which play a predominant role in the cheese curing. The concentration of free fatty acids in cheese shoots up to 1-5 g / Kg because of liopolysis. There exists a positive correlation between the content of free volatile fatty acids and the flavour.

One need not bother about the cholesterol content of the cheese as it is rather low varying between 0-100 mg / 100 g depending on the amount of fat present in the cheese. Hence contribution of the cheese towards the cholesterol intake would be very limited to 3-4%. Cholesterol present in the diet plays a limited role to boost the blood cholesterol. The body has its own check to decrease the cholesterol synthesis when ever the dietary cholesterol level exceeds certain limit. The digestibility coefficiency of the fat found in different varieties of cheese varies between 88-94%.

PROTEINS

The higher amount of biologically valuable proteins in the cheese adds to its nutritive value. The protein content of different varieties of cheeses generally varies between 20-35%. The protein content varies inversely with the fat content in any type of cheese. A 100 g piece of a soft cheese will meet 30-40% of the daily protein requirement of an adult human being and from 100 g of hard cheese, 40-50% can be met. During the cheese manufacture casein, the major milk protein is incorporated to 95% level in the cheese whereas most of the biologically valuable whey proteins pass into the whey portion. Hence only 75-80% of the total protein is harvested in the cheese. 4-6% of the total protein is formed by whey protein when pasteurized milk is utilized for cheese making.

The biological value of protein obtained from cheese is somewhat less than that of milk since the nutritionally superior whey proteins (containing sulphur containing amino acids) are excluded during cheese making. The PER values for cheddar cheese is 3.7 which is significantly higher than that for casein (2.5). If an index of 100 is given for the essential amino acids present in milk, then the corresponding values for the different cheese varieties varies between 91 and 97.

The biological value of protein is least influenced by the enzymes utilized during the preparation of cheese making (like rennet accompanied by acid production) or employed during ripening. The Maillard reaction does not occur in the cheese making and hence all the lysine available in milk is made available in cheese.

Some of the ripened cheeses show a higher PER values than that of milk from which it is prepared. When ultrafiltration is done to concentrate cheese milk, the whey proteins are incorporated into the cheese milk (in the ordinary process, they are lost in the whey) thereby improving the nutritive value of the cheese. The whey proteins constitute around 15% in such types of cheese. Cheese serves as a storehouse of essential amino acids, having similar proportion of essential amino acids that is present in milk except the methionine and cystine. During the ripening of cheese, part of the water-insoluble casein is converted into water-soluble nitrogenous compounds including the intermediate products of protein hydrolysis and free amino acids.

Digestion of protein is greatly improved during the curing process and hence ripening can be rightly referred to as “PREDIGESTION” step. A number of cheese varieties show an almost 100% true digestibility. As for as protein digestibility is concerned, it is better in cheese (96-97%) than in milk (92%). Small peptides are capable of passing through the walls of the intestine and it is assumed that they can penetrate through the intact cell membranes so that they are directly available for the cell. The free amino acids particularly, aspartic and glutamic acids are said to promote the secretion of gastric juices. There is no mention of food allergy arising from cheese protein.

You can have more information about nutrients at the site CHEESE NUTRIENTS

Source : http://www.dairyforall.com

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2008-04-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

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Mozzarella from buffalo!

2008-03-23T04:50:00.000-07:00

If you have plenty of buffalo milk, it is well and good and you will get a mozzarella cheese higher in its yield. But don't loose heart if you don't have that. We have cow milk all through out the globe. The composition of milk is very important to get the optimum clotting and better yield. The composition of cow milk does not suit the optimum composition that is required to prepare mozzarella.

Then?

We have to alter the composition of the cow milk in such a way that the ratio between casein and fat remains in the region of 06.8 - 0.70. This can be done either by adding the skim milk powder if the casein content is less or by adding cream or butter if the fat is lacking in percentage.

Different methods of Mozzarella making

Direct acidification method

Acidification is the prime requirement for cheese making and lactic acid is the major acid produced. This can be achieved by added or adventitious microorganisms or simply by adding lactic acid or some times citric acid extraneously.

In the direct acidification method, lactic or citric acid is added @ 15 ml of 20% lactic acid for every liter of milk. The temperature of the milk is kept at less than 5 degrees since it favors slow and steady clotting otherwise the yield and body & texture will be affected. Calcium chloride may be added a pinch to facilitate clotting; this is especially true for severely heat treated milk Then the temperature of milk is slowly raised till it is 60 degrees at which time the milk forms a coagulum.

Privacy Policy

2008-03-23T04:31:00.000-07:00

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Maalucheese - Started Rolling!

2008-03-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

I have not updated this blog for quite a long time. But because of the slow but steady increase in the number of backlinks, this maalucheese has got a pagerank of 1. Just to make the going smooth, I have decided to update the contents. So here we go!

We will see some of the practical aspects of cheese making.

First we will take the simple cheese making process and take the preparation of mozzarella cheese.

The mozzarella has a great history and originated in the country Italy.

Initially buffalo milk was used in the cheese making process but because of non availability of buffalo milk everywhere compelled the cheese makers to device alternative methods by using the widely available cow milk.

Buffalo milk is available in most parts of Asia and some select parts of Europe. Hence, it can be better used in preparing the mozzarella cheese in these countries.

THE ROLE OF COAGULANT IN CHEESE MAKING

2007-06-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

The proportion of rennet added should be the minimum necessary so as to get a firmer coagulum within 30 – 40 min duration.
Addition of calcium chloride or increase in the temperature at which rennet is added for coagulation may be resorted to off set the seasonal variations in the milk composition.
During clotting, the casein micelles, which are separate initially aggregate into a network, coalesce and finally form a granular mass.
Similarly, the fat globules which are separate in the beginning are forced together into a compact mass because of the shrinkage of the casein network.
When the rennet coagulu is cut, the surface of the fat globules is exposed and some of them are washed out as the curd is being stirred. This gives rise to a thin layer of depleted fat at the curd-granule interface.
During the process of matting, the layers of adjoining curd granules fuse resulting in the formation of fat depleted junctions.
Starter cultures or bacteria are trapped in the casein network near the fat – casein interface. This region is thought to hold highest moisture content in the mature or ripened cheese mass.

Milk composition and cheese making - contd...

2007-06-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

However, the curd is cooked, to expel moisture at a temperature which normally adversely affects the starter bacteria. The cheese maker must therefore exercise caution to ensure that the desired acid development in the curd is reached at about the same time as the required moisture content.

The defined starter system that is being followed in New Zealand have been based on the temperature sensitivity of the selected strains as well as on their phage resistance and acid producing ability. These defined starter systems have been widely used in U.S and Ireland and are replacing the undefined commercial mixed strain starter cultures, of the type still almost universally used for the manufacture of Dutch type cheese.

If the cooking temperature is kept constant throughout the cheese making year and standardized milk is used, the most important factor by far in producing the cheddar cheese of an uniform and defined quality is the degree of acid production in the cheese vats. To obviate the need to make up for the seasonal changes in milk composition it is normally only necessary to change the percentage of the inoculum of starter so that the required quantum acid is produced.

MILK COMPOSITION - HOW IT AFFECTS CHEESE MAKING?

2007-06-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Milk composition and cheese making

Cheese making basically comprises of the removal of moisture from rennet coagulum. The three major factors involved are

the proportion of fat in the curd,

the cooking i.e. scalding temperature

and rate and quantum of acid production.

In order to achieve uniform cheese quality in large commercial plants, the manufacturing techniques should be as consistent as possible. The parameter that has to be looked into is the uniformity and quality of the raw milk. This point is achieved by bulking the milk in a silo to minimize the differences in the composition of milk obtained from different milk procurement points.

The composition of milk, especially its fat content is important. For varieties like Cheddar, the milk is standardized to a casein-fat ratio of 0.67 – 0.72. Higher fat present in milk intended for cheese making makes the moisture removal from the curd since the excess fat interferes mechanically with the syneresis.

The Cheddar cheese making process is more dependent upon uniform starter activity when compared to cheeses like Gouda. Hence cheddar type cheese making is considered as technically more sophisticated. The adequate acid production, especially, before whey is drained from the curd is considered important when a definite composition of cheese is to be produced.

The art of Cheddar cheese manufacture

2007-06-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Manufacture of cheddar cheese

The traditional manufacture of cheddar cheese consists of

coagulating the milk containing a starter culture with rennet
cutting the resultant rennet coagulum into small cubes
heating and stirring the cubes with the concomitant production of a required amount of acid
whey removal
fusing the cubes of curd into slabs by cheddaring
cutting (milling) the cheddared curd
salting
pressing
packaging and ripening

Although it is impossible to completely separate the combined effects of some of these operations on the final quality of the cheese, they will as for as possible be considered individually.

Problems and solutions in UF cheese making

2007-06-16T03:55:00.000-07:00

Some of the problems that may be encountered in ultra filtration of cheese making are texture, flavour, moisture retention and rate of acid development.

However, by understanding the UF cheese technology, such problems could be surmounted. Subjecting the retentate to high heat treatment, homogenization of the concentrated milk and application of diafiltration to adjust the lactose, salt or mineral content are some of the alternatives to avoid the problems posed by the UF cheese making.

As a result, fresh and soft and semi soft cheeses have been produced successfully in large cheese factories in different countries.

However, as ultra filtration cheese making is gradually being accepted as a technology for the manufacture of hard and semi hard cheese varieties, great progress has taken place over the past few years and ultra filtration is widely adopted in the manufacture of Esrom, Danbo, Havarti, and Gouda cheese types.

Another point that has to be notice in the preparation of hard and semi hard cheese varieties is the profitability and economic cost of the cheese factory.

Advantages of Ultra Filtration (UF) technology for the manufacture of cheese

2007-06-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

Advantages of Ultra Filtration (UF) in cheese making

Increased cheese yield due to improved recoveries of protein and / or fat and the retention of whey proteins, which otherwise will be lost.
Reduction in the cost of ingredients used per tonne of cheese. i.e. lower addition rates of coagulant, starter cultures, colouring matter or calcium chloride required.
Reduction in some of the manufacturing costs, such as energy, equipment and labour.
Improvement in the quality and compositional control of certain cheese varieties but the changes may have a different significance in hard and semi hard cheeses.
Increased out put of cheese per day.

Presently, the ultra filtration has great application in the manufacture of cheeses such as Quarg, Cottage, Ricotta, Feta, Mozarella, Camembert, Brie or Queso Blanco.

APPLICATION OF ULTRAFILTRATION IN CHEESEMAKING

2007-06-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

Ultrafiltration and cheese making

Ultrafiltration is a membrane separation process which is carried out under pressure using a semi-permeable membrane made out of a high polymer substance or cellulose acetate. The milk constituents that pass through the membrane are referred to as permeate and the materials that do not pass through the membrane are known as retentate.

Thus in theory, the application of ultrafiltration in the cheese industry resembles the traditional concept of cheese making in which the milk fat and proteins are concentrated by means of whey separation.

The application of ultrafiltration is classified into three categories based on the concentration factor of the fat and the protein in the retentate.

1.Low concentration (up to two fold) so that conventional cheese making techniques can be employed using traditional or existing mechanized equipment.

2. Medium or pre concentration of the milk (three to six fold) and as a result the subsequent cheese making process has to be modified; however, some whey drainage will take place but different equipment is normally used and

3. High concentration (six to eight fold) where the dry matter content of the retentate is the same as in the cheese; this concentrated milk is called as pre-cheese and whey drainage does not occur and the cheese making equipment is entirely of new design.

Cheese Packaging - Contd...

2007-05-25T06:02:00.001-07:00

Heat shrink packaging machines

In principle, these machines are similar to the types used for the bulk packaging of cheese. In Scotland, the Cheddar and Dunlop cheeses are produced on different islands are packaged in heat-shrink bags, e.g. cryovac. Normally the closure in this kind of packaging is a metal clip. However, nowadays this kind of closure is being replaced by heat-sealing of the bag, after the application of vacuum and prior to heat-shrinking.

Miscellaneous Equipment

Recent innovations in the retail packaging of cheese have been primarily geared towards protecting and benefiting the consumer, and the changes include the following like

Improvement in the ease of opening the cheese pack

Introduction of peel-off packs supplied with reclosable lids. However the material used and some of the peel of type packs tend to change colour i.e. they become opaque when opened.

Thirdly, the zip type closures

Incidentally the reclosable packs are normally made from a semi-rigid plastic material. The zip type closure consists of two parts.

The tear-off strip
The zip section

During the packaging of the cheese portions, the zip wedged between the two webs in the vacuum chamber of the thermoforming machines and heat sealed with packaging material after removal of the air. The sequence of opening by the consumer is as follows

Tear off the strip
Pull the zip apart
Remove the portion of the cheese and
Close the zip and place in refrigerator.

Vacuum and Gas Flushing Machines

2007-05-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Vacuum Skin Packaging Machines

The principle of the vacuum skin packaging system utilizes a top and base web of material. However, it differs from the vacuum thermoforming machine in that no forming dyes are required. The product is placed on the lower web which may be left flat or formed to suit the product if desired, before being indexed into the chamber of the machine. The top web, which has been preheated to improve its flexibility, is draped over the cheese portions utilizing the product as the dye and using minimum pressure. The air is removed by vacuum and the product is fully encased in a protective second skin before heat sealing the top and bottom webs.

Gas Flushing Machines

This kind of packaging machines is also known as “Modified Atmospheric Pack”, and the machine uses two reels for packing the cheese as described in the form-fill-seal. After evacuating the air from the vacuum chamber, it is then replaced by a controlled mixture of gas (carbon dioxide, nitrogen or a combination of these). Thus this system is referred to as gas-flushing. Thus this system prevents the spoilage of cheese during intermediate storage prior to retailing.

In practice carbon dioxide is widely used, compared with nitrogen as gas flushing unit, because it reacts with the moisture in the cheese to producer carbonic acid and so gives the product a neat snug appearance similar to a vacuum pack. Carbonic acid further serves as a mould inhibitor.

VACUUM PACKAGING MACHINES

2007-05-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

PACKAGING MACHINES

There are three different types of packaging machine which can be used for packaging portions of cheese. Some examples are given below

Chamber machines

This type of equipment uses mainly pre-made pouches (e.g. nylon/polyethylene laminate and polyester or cellulose/polyethylene laminate or related plastic films). The pouch is filled with product, loaded into the chamber which evacuates the air from the pack and then heat seals it.

As a result, the product is in air tight container and the shelf life of cheese packaged in this system (kept under refrigeration) is up to 3 months. In small operations, this system of packaging is carried out manually by placing the portion of cheese inside the pouch and transferring it to the vacuum chamber. When the lid of the chamber is closed, the vacuum is activate followed by heat sealing.

Automatic thermoforming machines

The majority of high speed, vacuum packaging machines are known as form-fill-seal machines. Most of these machines have been adopted for gas flushing. The packaging material is delivered to the dairy in large reels of plastic sheet and two reels are fed into the machine. The base reel which is a thermoplastic material is warmed and vacuum or compressed air stretches the film into cooled, multi-row moulds, which transforms the sheet into desired shape.

The cheese portions are placed into the well and as the cheese container moves forward to the vacuum and heat sealing chamber, it is covered by a plastic sheet from the top reel. The following stage consist of removing the air from the chamber, heat sealing the thermoplastic material to each other, and finally longitudinal and cross cutting units separate the cheese portions before transferring them to the weighing and labeling section.

Cheese Portioning - contd...

2007-05-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

In general, the cheese portion packaging machines can be divided into the following types.

§ Over wrapping

§ Chamber

§ Automatic form – fill – seal

§ Skin packaging and

§ Miscellaneous

Over-wrapping machines

These machines merely over-wrap the cheese portion with a plastics film e.g. saran or any polypropylene laminate and the estimated shelf life of the product is up to 3 weeks. The object of packaging the cheese by this method is to provide the customer with a fresh look appearance to the cheese.

The main characteristics of the machines is their ability to wrap a variety of cheese portions and the sequence of operations is as follows

The cheese portion is placed in a specially designed pocket on the in-feed chain which carries it to the exact position for wrapping.

The packaging material is drawn from a reel to the correct length required and the length is automatically adjusted to ensure accuracy of wrapping even if the product size varies by ± 5%.

The die sets in the wrapping chamber are specifically designed to provide an exact cut and an attractive fold on the package.

These machines can handle a wide range of packaging materials and some models are equipped with heat sealing and heat-shrink devices to obtain a tight final pack.

CHEESE - PORTIONING

2007-05-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

PORTIONING OF CHEESE

The very hard, hard and semi hard cheese varieties are produced in different shapes and sizes and the retail portioning of the cheese is dependent upon factors such as

Original shape of the cheese
Consumer size and shape required
Minimizing wastage i.e. cut offs during the portioning of the cheese.

In general, cheese is portioned into different shapes such as wedge, rectangular or square. Different portioning machines are available in the market which will help the consumers to get the cheese of required size. They are

1. Alpma KSA 90

2. Alpma HT II

3. Wright Pugson Cheese cutting machines

4. Codat 400 and 500 range machines

Equipment for cheese packaging

A multitude of high speed cheese portion packaging machines is available in the market. The important aspects of the packaging machine that should be taken into consideration are

Capital cost

Type of packaging material used

Proposed method of packaging i.e. over wrapping, vacuum, vacuum heat-shrink, and gas flushing

Sanitary standards

Versatility and reliability of the machine

Power and labour requirements

Other specifications such as availability of price labeling, date marking and safety measures.

Retail packaging of cheese

2007-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

CHEESE - RETAIL PACKAGING

Consumer packaging of cheese, e.g. 250 g to 1 kg can be carried out in cheese factories or by specialized dairy packers. The sequence of operations involves the following steps.

1. Unwrapping

2. Portioning

3. Packaging

4. Weighing and labeling and

5. Packaging the cheese in shipping containers

It is necessary to ensure that the handling of cheese is carried out under controlled atmospheric conditions, i.e. air should be filtered and if possible the whole area should be under positive pressure to minimize air borne contamination. Different types of plastics are used for the packaging or retail portions of cheese and the protective properties associated with the bulk packaging of cheese are also enforced. However, the packaging material for the modified atmosphere cheese packs i.e. gas flushing, should also be impermeable to carbon dioxide and nitrogen as well as moisture and oxygen.

Unwrapping of the cheese blocks

Removal of shipping container is normally carried out in an area isolated from the rest of the retail packaging line. The second stage of operation is the removal of the bulk packaging material and in some instances, cleaning the surfaces of cheese of any mould growth.

It is a problem that certain mould species produce mycotoxins which can penetrate the cheese and it is recommended that a slice off a whole side should be removed rather than mere scraping in order to ensure that the retail portions do not contain any toxic substances.

Storage of cheese contd...

2007-05-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Dutch cheeses:

Gouda, Edam and other related cheese varieties are stored for at least 28 days after manufacture at 12-13°C and 85-90% RH and then at a temperature of 10°C and 85 – 90% RH until the cheese is mature. The cheese is turned many times during the maturation period and this process is well mechanized in large factories. The Dutch cheese varieties can be handled by three ways. They are

1.the compact system
2.the loose shelves system and
3.the box system.

The control of air temperature and circulation is important. Improvements in air circulation under the blocks of Gouda and Edam cheese have been achieved by using a newly designed plastic shelves known as the ‘Fakir’. The brined cheeses are plasticized a few times to prevent mould growth and to prevent soiling of the shelves in the store.

The cheese is plasticized from one side only, so that when it is turned the dried section of the cheese is in contact with shelf. At the end of the maturation period, the cheese is washed, dried, coated with paraffin wax at 90-120°C and if required wrapped with a cellophane material before it is dispatched to the market. In addition, Dutch cheese could be packed in an impermeable material by employing the “Cryovac” packaging system.

STORAGE OF CHEESE contd...

2007-05-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

Emmental cheese:

Store the cheese at 10 – 15°C for 10 – 14 days at 90% RH; then at 20 - 24°C for 3-6 weeks at 80 – 85% RH followed by storage at 7.2°C or less for 6-12 months at 80-85% RH. Similar to that on Gruyere cheese, here also the cheese is turned regularly and the surface is soaked in a cloth soaked in brine.

Block shaped Swiss cheese:

Since the Swiss cheese is packed in barrier type material, the storage temperature is important and not the humidity. Dry the cheese after brining for 4 days at 7°C; packed in a barrier film material and stored at 17 – 18°C for 10-15 days till the formation of eye holes. And final storage at 8-12°C till it is matured. Turning the small block of cheese as done for other varieties is not essential.

British cheese:

The traditional types of British cheese are stored under different temperatures from 7 - 19°C depending on the variety. The relative humidity is around 85% to prevent dryness and crack formation in the rind. It is necessary for the cheese to be turned during the maturation period and this process is carried out manually in the small cheese factories.

Block shaped cheeses are normally matured at around 10°C and plastic laminates are used as the packaging material. Therefore turning of the cheese in store is not required. The stacking of cheese blocks in the maturation rooms is dependent upon factors such as type of shipping or outer packing container.

STORAGE OF CHEESE

2007-05-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

Cheese - Storage

The quality of any cheese variety is dependent on many factors such as the quality of the milk, the activity of starter cultures and the manufacturing stages. But the criterion such as handling of cheese in the storage room and conditions provided during the maturation period are important. The latter aspects can have a bearing on the biochemical changes that take place in the curd during the storage period. This will ultimately have an effect on the final quality of the cheese. The handling ad storage conditions may vary depending on the variety of cheese and below are given some examples.

Swiss cheese

The Emmental and Gruyere type cheese undergo a secondary fermentation during the early stages of storage and the “eye” formation take place in cheese due to the metabolic activity of the propionic acid bacteria. Thus the wheel shaped Swiss cheese are matured under controlled temperature and relative humidity conditions and the following parameters amply illustrates this.

Gruyere cheese

The cheese is stored under 10°C for 3 weeks and then at 15 – 20°C for 2 – 3 months in an atmosphere of 90 – 95% relative humidity. The storage is completed at 12 – 15°C and 85% RH for 8-12 months. The cheese is turned regularly and rubbed with a damp cloth to aid the growth of those bacteria that provide the red brown smear coat.

CHEESE - PACKAGING

2007-05-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Packaging of cheese

After the pressing stage, the handling and packing of cheese is dependent on its variety, and the following examples give the detailed explanation regarding it.

Emmental cheese

A pressed block shaped Emmental cheese is wrapped in cling film and stacked on specially designed pallet which can be mechanically turned during the ripening or storage period. The smaller block shaped Emmental could be packaged mechanically in a cryovac bag. This type of packaging material is laminate of different layers of plastics, and the sequence of operations is as follows.

The bag loader indexes one of the taped bags in to position, opens it, and then automatically loads the block of cheese before depositing the bagged product on to the in-feed conveyor of the vacuum chamber.

An operator straightens the neck of the bag to ensure that a perfect wrinkle free heat-sealed closure is obtained after the air has been removed with in the chamber of the machine.

A second operator carries out the visual inspection as the cheese passes through a check / weighing station and a weight label is applied.

The cheese passes through the shrink tunnel and is placed in a plastic box or card board container.

Pressing, packaging and storing of cheese

2007-04-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

PRESSING

The very hard, hard and semi hard varieties of cheeses are pressed in either vertical or horizontal presses under normal atmospheric condition or under vacuum. The pressing parameters, i.e. application of right amount of pressure for a specific duration of time, gives the cheese its final shape, produces a cheese with a firm and smooth surface and helps to lower its moisture content to the desired level. The pressure applied is dependent on the type of cheese, and it can be achieved using one of the following parameters.

Spring loaded or screw mechanisms

Hydraulic presses

Pneumatic systems or

Vacuum presses.

The former type is manually operated and hence the other systems are more common in mechanized cheese factories. One important aspect, which must not be overlooked, is the difference between airline pressure and the actual pressure applied to the cheese; the former pressure is actually lower. Since pressure is defined as a mass per unit area and the calculated actual pressure on the cheese takes into account

The air line pressure

The diameter of the cylinder head and

The surface of the cheese.

Therefore different cheese varieties are pressed at different pressures. In general, the cheeses are pressed in individual moulds or in bulk.

MOULD FILLING - SEMI HARD CHEESE

2007-04-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

Mould filling for semi hard cheese varieties

The de-wheying and curd handling equipment e.g. pre pressing vat or tower are designed as mould fillers and the accuracy of filling is excellent.

The cheese moulds, made up of metal like aluminium alloy or plastic, can be easily cleaned in a tunnel washing system.

A special detergent should be used when cleaning the metal moulds to avoid black discolouration and the polyethylene type should be cleaned with an alkaline or acid detergent at 55 -72°C.

However it is recommended that an acid treatment should follow the alkaline wash in order to neutralize the latter compound.

MOULD FILLING

2007-04-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

The art of filling the cheese mould

The mould filling equipment is primarily designed to deliver a certain amount of curd to a mould and hence to produce cheeses, after pressing, of roughly the same weight. Such equipment could be incorporated either as a part of the curd handling system or in a position dependent on the variety of cheese produced.

The traditional wheel shaped cheese – The Emmental

The entire curd content from each vat is delivered to a mould after e-wheying , and the cheese maker has to alter the volume of the milk used in order to overcome the effect of seasonal variation on yield. Thus producing the cheese of roughly the same weight.

Cheddar and related varieties

The sequence of filling the salted, curd chips in to moulds is given below

Tare of weight of mould
First stage filling – up to 70% or more of the final weight of the cheese is delivered in to the mould
Pre press the curd
Second stage filling of the mould to the desired weight e.g. 20 kg and
Transfer cheese moulds to the press

Two stage filing ensures that the pressed cheeses are uniform in weight. A different approach to the filling of cheddar cheese mould is the Press-n-fill Mk v, which is volumetric hoop filler. The salted curd is pre pressed in to a small, rectangular chamber of similar dimension to a 20 kg block shaped hoop.

While the discharged door is in the closed position, a horizontal guillotine cuts the curd and an ejector-ram pushes out the block and gives the curd a second pre press in the hoop. During the mould filling stroke, the mould liners are held in position by a clamp frame which also prevents the spillage of curd. The rate of filling is 3 x 20 Kg moulds per minute and the mould filing can be arranged either from the right hand or left hand side.

CHEESE MOULDS

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Types of moulds and mould filling equipment

The traditional multi piece iron or tinned steel moulds have been replaced by perforated stainless steel or aluminium alloy and recently plastic moulds have become popular.

In the past cotton cheese cloth was normally used to line some types of cheese mould in order to provide a smoother finish to the pressed cheese and to prevent the cheese from sticking to the mould. Thus the preparation of large number of moulds in a cheese factory was a labour intensive process and washing sterilizing, and drying the mould also increased the cost of production. These problems have been overcome by the introduction of perforated stainless steel moulds which has made it possible to dispense with the cheese cloths. Alternatively, disposable polyethylene liners can be made use of. The general specifications intended for the cheese cloth is

Tear strength	70 – 110 g
Burst strength	127.53 – 156.96 kNm^-2
Porosity	40 – 70 s
Gauge	100 – 150 µm.

In the Netherlands, plastic moulds are widely used for semi hard cheese varieties. These moulds are made up of polyethylene and do not require a cheese liner and are suitable for moulding, washing and refilling. Basically the moulds are constructed of two pieces and they are produced in a multitude of shapes.

The amount of salt in cheese

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The amount of salt retained in the cheese is governed by a multitude of factors, as given below.

The level or percentage of added salt
Method of salting (I.e. addition of salt to the milled curd or brining the pressed cheese);
Duration of salting
Moisture content of the cheese and
Type of cheese etc.

Caerphilly cheese is the only British variety where the curd is salted at the rate of 1.0%. he cheese is dry salted while it is being turned in the press, and finally immersed in brine (i.e. 18% concentration) at 15-16°C for 12 – 24 h.

Percentage of Salt added	Cheese variety
1.6 – 1.8	Wensleydale
1.7 – 1.9	Single and double Gloucester
1.8 – 2.0	Cheshire, Cotswold, Derby, Dunlop, Kingston and Leicester
2.5 – 3.0	Cheddar

Cheese brine is a sodium chloride solution and its concentration is expressed either as percentage NaCl (w/w) (e.g. saturated brine is 35% NaCl) or Baume. The brining conditions of the Swiss, Italian and Dutch cheese may vary slightly.

WHAT IS A BRINE TANK?

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Brine Tanks

Most brine tanks are made of plastic, in order to minimize the corrosive effects of the salt. In some instance, the stainless steel racks filled with cheese are supported with nylon netting before immersion in to the brine. The construction of the brine tank has to take in to account the following things.

Salt dosing equipment i.e. dry form or solution, so that the desired concentration of the brine can be maintained.
Temperature control mechanism so that the cheese can be brined at two different temperatures, e.g. at 18 - 20°C for the first few hours, followed by 14°C at during the brining of Danbo cheese in the brine tank.
Provision of some eccentric movements of the racking unit in the brine tank, in order to overcome the problem of cheese buoyancy resting on the same bars during the brining stage.
In large cheese factories, the brining and handing of cheese is highly automated.

The quality control of the brine is critical because it can influence the quality of the cheese and some important points that have to be taken care include

Maintaining the right concentration of salt
Monitoring for microbiological contamination, e.g. total count, coliforms, yeasts and moulds.
Maintaining the appropriate temperature
Monitoring the whey content, which leads to the formation of sludge and hence a shift in pH
Maintaining the calcium content in the region of 0.17 – 0.24% for semi hard cheese, which corresponds to the calcium percentage in the cheese; lower calcium concentrations in the brine can affect the firmness of the rind.

SALTING OF CHEESE

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SALTING EQUIPMENT

· The salting should be completed in an atmosphere isolated from any humidity in order to avoid the ingress of moisture to the metering device and thus the changes in accuracy of salting. The salting equipment in the Alf-O-Matic operates as given under:

· Warm, dry air transfers the salt from storage to a salt metering belt;

· Hot air passing through the valve transfers the salt to a stainless steel, oscillating distribution tube to be spread on to the cheese curd. The oscillating pipe is driven by an electric, geared motor;

· The amount of salt added is controlled by a floating sensor that determines the depth of the milled curd and actuates the salt metering device either to increase or decrease the salt dosage in line with the height of the milled curd; and

· Salt mixing and mellowing take place on conveyor where the curd chips are treated in a series of resting and turning periods. The residence time varies between 10 and 30 minutes.

The salt retention unit developed by Damrow Company has the following sequence of operations

· The curd chips are air conveyed from the cheese making equipment to a cyclone situated on top of the salt retention unit (SRU);

· The curd chips fall to the bottom of the cyclone and are delivered to a weighing belt and the air is vented out at the top of the cyclone;

· The curd chips enter the mixing drum where the exact amount of salt is added and mixed for a short period; the curd exits on to the mellowing top belt; the principle of using a mixing drum similar to the Bell Siro cheese maker system;

· Mellowing of the salted curd takes place on the two belts which are similar in operation to the DMC and

· At the end of the second belt, the mellowed curd leaves the SRU through the star valve and is air conveyed to a mould or heap filling station.

Milling, Salting and Filling

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Milling, salting / brining and / or Mould filling

The methods available to handle the curd at this stage of production depend on the type of cheese produced, but the handling of the curd can be classified as detailed below.

Mould filling / Pressing / Brining - Parmesan, Grana, Gouda / Edam

Milling / Salting / Mould Filling / Pressing - Cheddar and related British territorial

It is evident, however, that the above division is also applicable to the method of salting the cheese curd, i.e. salting for Cheddar and related varieties and brining for Swiss, Italian and Dutch cheeses. In some of the Italian and Swiss, the surface of the pressed curd is rubbed with dry salt in order to produce a harder rind to protect the cheese during the maturation period.

Milling equipment:

Most of the mechanized equipment employed for the manufacture of cheddar cheese includes automated milling and / or salting and mellowing facilities. The matted curd is cut in to curd chips of roughly 1.25 – 1.85 cm square section and 17.5 – 20.0 cm in length. However, the length of the curd chip is influenced by depth of the matted curd, space between the rotating blades, speed of the rotating cutters and design of the mill.

An alternative type of mill, which could be employed during the manufacture of most British varieties, is the peg type. However a different type of peg mill is used for milling Cheshire cheese curd to give granular pieces, which help the finished cheese to attain the crumbly texture characteristics.

Latest Cheese Vats

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The recently developed vats are of the following types.

1. Damrow ‘Double O’ vat

2. APV-Pasilac cheese making vat type OCH

3. APV-Pasilac cheese making vat type OCT

4. Schwarte cheese maker tank

5. Gadan multicurd cheese vat

6. ASTA cheese making tank

7. Tebel-MKT cheese vats

8. APV Swiss cheese vat

9. Tebel OST-III and IV

10. Scherping horizontal twin shaft cheese vat

De-wheying, texture forming and / or handling operations:

The advent of mechanization in the cheese industry has brought about some changes in the traditional process and in most cases the main improvements involve the following stages of cheese making:

1. The de-wheying i.e. the separation of the whey from curd particles and

2. The texturizing and handling of the curd.

However, the second point is more important since the mechanized cheese systems have been designed for the manufacture of one or types of cheese.

Mechanized cheese making

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The primary objective of mechanization of the cheesemaking process can be summarized as

1. Increase productivity in a given size of factory

2. Reduce the cost of manufacture i.e. by labour savings

3. Improve the working conditions and avoid heavy manual work

4. Improve, if possible, the quality of cheese

Presently, there are many types of cheese making system available on the market for the manufacture of the very hard, hard and semi hard varieties.

The reason for diversification can be mainly attributed to technological advancements achieved in the manufacture of certain cheeses and to the development of different systems to produce the same variety of cheese, e.g. cheddar.

The important stages involved in the mechanization process can be briefed as follows

· Curd production

· De wheying, texture forming and / or handling operations

· Milling, salting / brining and / or mould filling and

· Pressing and packaging

Curd Production

Traditionally cheese vat was utilized for all the operations of cheese making, i.e. starter addition to milling and salting, with the exception of the two level system where curd handling (cheddaring, milling and salting) took place in coolers or finishing vats. However, the major developments in the cheese vats have included

a. enclosed vat design

b. cutting / stirring devices

c. optional fittings

Coagulating agents, coagulum formation and cutting of the coagulum

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COAGULATING AGENTS

The coagulating agent used in the dairy industry may be classified in to

Animal (calf, lamb, cow, kid, pig)
Microbial (Mucor meihei, Mucor pusillus, Endothia parasitica and Bacillus subtilis)
Plant (Carica papaya and Ficus carica)
Genetically engineered or recombinant chymosin (Kluyveromyces marxianus var lactis, Escherichia coli K-12, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies lactis).

The above said enzymes are referred to as peptide hydrolases because they act mainly on the casein micelle during the coagulation process of the milk.

Rennet which consists of chymosin (80%) and pepsin (20%) is extracted from the fourth stomach of a young calf, and this preparation finds extensive use in cheese industry. The ratio of pepsin to chymosin in coagulants increases as the donor animal ages and practically 100% pepsin preparations are obtained from the stomachs of cows and pigs. Rennet coagulants from other sources may also be used but due to broad specific proteolytic activity of these enzymes, there may be faults in the texture of the finished cheese.

The hydrolytic activity of chymosin on the casein micelle can be divided in to three phases. The primary phase is the destabilization of kappa casein by the enzymatic hydrolysis of the susceptible amino acid bond at the phenyl alanine methionine linkage resulting in formation of two components namely para kappa casein and casinomacropeptide.

Classification of dairy starter

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THE STARTER

Garvie and Tamime classified the lactic starters based on their ability to grow at different temperature as follows.

Mesophilic lactic starters

Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris.

Thermophilic lactic starters

Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus , Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum.

Miscellaneous bacteria

Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. freudenreichii, globosum. shermanii. The Propionibacterium shermanii is used in the manufacture of Swiss cheese.

The starter cultures may be preserved in the form of liquid, concentrated freeze dried or concentrated frozen at -196°C. The latter two types are suitable for DVI (direct vat inoculation) for the production of bulk starter or added directly to the cheese milk.

The production of a bulk starter is an important step in the successful cheese making process. During the recent past, the starter technology has shown tremendous improvement towards the ultimate objective of producing a pure and active culture.

Processing of milk - Contd...

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Additives

Certain additives such as calcium chloride and colouring matter are added to the cheese milk after pasteurization. Calcium chloride helps to provide appropriate balance between the soluble and colloidal calcium in milk, which leads to successful coagulation. It as been shown that a calcium concentration of 140 – 160 mg per 100 ml is ideal but larger doses can destabilize some of the casein fractions. The most popular colouring matter used in the cheese industry is the water soluble annatto, which is extracted from the fruits of Bixa orellana .

The addition of annatto per 450 litres of milk may be less than 35 ml for slightly coloured cheese, 35 - 55 ml for medium coloured cheese and 115 – 230 ml for highly coloured cheese varieties.

The annatto is normally added to the cheese milk with the starter culture or 15 minutes before the addition of coagulating agent.

Starter cultures

The starter cultures are used in the cheese industry for production of D, L or DL-lactic acid as a result of lactose fermentation, which is important during the coagulation and texturizing of the curd. Secondly, for the production of flavor compounds and in some cases, for e.g. Swiss cheese gas production. Thirdly, the enzymes such as peptide hydrolase, lipases released by the starter bacteria play an important role in the maturation of cheese. Finally the lactic acid produced by the starter bacteria contribute towards flavour and the acidic condition prevents the growth of pathogens and spoilage causing organisms.

Processing of Milk - Contd...

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Addition of Lysozyme

The enzyme lysozyme is present in the form of muramidase in milk and egg white and many commercial preparations are available for its use in cheese milk to control clostridia and butyric acid fermentation. The required dosage of lysozyme is 1 – 2 g per 100 litres of milk. The extraneous addition of the enzyme lysozyme is obviated due to the development of genetically modified lactic acid bacteria, which are capable of producing lysozyme.

Microfiltration / Bactocatch

This is a recent development, which uses microfiltration technique to filter the bacteria. The disadvantage in the use of sodium nitrate and lysozyme due to their restriction in use in milk in many countries is obviated in this method. Here the skim milk is prewarmed to 45°C and then microfiltered and concentrated to 10 to 20 fold. The porosity of the membrane is large enough to allow all the milk solids but small enough to retain the bacteria and their spores.

The retentate, which is approximately 5% of the original volume of milk, is added with desired volume of cream in order to obtain the required fat percentage in the cheese milk and heated to 110 – 130°C in a plate heat exchanger and this process is known as High Temperature Treatment (HTT). Then the HTT standardized retentate – cream mixture is cooled and blended with micro filtered permeate, pasteurized at 72°C for 15 seconds and cooled to 30°C and then finally transferred to cheese vat. The advantage claimed for this method includes development of off flavours and coagulation of milk proteins are avoided. Further more most of the spore formers are destroyed during sterilization.

PROCESSING THE MILK

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Filtration / Clarification

Before processing, the cheese milk is clarified / filtered in order to remove certain contaminants such as cellular material, straw, hairs, soil etc. Generally cloth filters are used but clarifiers using centrifugal force called bactofugation, has the advantage of removing spore forming bacteria (Clostridium), thereby preventing late blowing defect and butyric acid fermentation in cheese.

These defects are very common in brined cheeses such as Emmental, Grana Padona, Provolone, Donbo and Gouda. The following preventive measures can be taken to avoid the clostridial spore activity in cheeses.

Bactofugation

The bactofugation is the process of subjecting the cheese milk to high-speed centrifugal force in the clarifying bowl, which is somewhat similar to the cream separator and results in the removal of 99 % of bacteria which is originally present in the milk.

The bactofugate, which is nothing but separated fraction amounting to 2-3% of total milk volume, is removed and sterilized by steam under high pressure (130 – 140°C for few seconds) and then cooled and added to the main lot of milk.

Nitrate Addition

The procedure for bactofugation may not be possible for all the cheese makers and thus requires some other alternative methods. That is addition of sodium or potassium nitrate to the cheese milk in order to prevent the growth of gas forming butyric acid bacteria.

Generally sodium nitrate is added to the cheese milk at the concentration of 70 – 80 g per 500 litres of milk. But the problem with the addition of sodium nitrates (saltpetre) is production of colour defects due to reaction of tyrosine with nitrite and has limited use. Further use of sodium nitrate is restricted in many countries.

THE PROCESS OF CHEESE MAKING

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Important steps in Cheese Making

The basic concept of cheese making is similar although there exist a multiple varieties of cheese. The milk from any mammal could be used as an ingredient or raw material for the preparation of cheese coupled with coagulating agent and starter culture. The basic stages in the manufacture of cheese may be broadly classified into the following points.

1.Handling of milk, storage and processing

2.Starter cultures

3.Coagulum formation followed by cutting and scalding

4.Curd handling after removal of the whey

5.Other treatments intended for the cheese curd including milling, salting, pressing of the curd etc.

1.Milk handling, storage and processing

Normally raw milk produced in the farm is chilled and transported to the processing dairy. The microorganisms in the milk vary widely depending on the hygienic condition and prevailing atmospheric temperature in the farm. Presence of thermoduric microorganisms (such as Bacillus) and psychrotrophs (primarily Pseudomonads) adversely affect the quality of cheese, thus necessitating methods of handling and storage of milk prior to cheese making an important step. The general practice of milk handling include weighing or metering of milk, filtration or clarification to remove the contaminants and impurities, cooling to less than 5°C and bulk storage of milk in a silo.

Impact of psychrotrophs on the cheese quality

The psychrotrophs can be defined as those microorganisms that are capable surviving and growing at commercial refrigeration temperatures. These organisms secrete proteases and lipases, which are protein and lipid splitting respectively and cause rancid and soapy flavour in the end product (cheese). The growth of these psychrotrophs can be prevented by a number of methods such as thermization of milk (sub pasteurization heat treatment), deep cooling of milk (2°C) or a combination of the above two methods, carbonation of milk and the use of lactic starter cultures.

The Nutrients of Cheese!

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NUTRIENTS IN CHEESE

The nutrients present in cheese can be broadly classified in to proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals and salts. The proportion of these nutrients in cheese may vary depending upon the type of milk used for cheese preparation and the variety of cheese produced. Generally very hard, hard and semi hard varieties of cheese possess high levels of protein mainly casein, which is a major repository of essential amino acids present in right proportion required for human beings. The fat and carbohydrate fractions supply the much needed energy.

The milk carbohydrate, lactose, is present in solution and hence goes in to the whey portion during the cheese manufacture. Hence, the lactose content of the cheese is minimal and if at all present, it is mostly present in young cheese varieties and this is the substrate, which is usually acted upon by the starter bacteria during the fermentation process. This is the reason for no lactose intolerance symptoms in people suffering from this disease when they consume cheese.

Physicians generally warn their patients against consuming cheese because cheese is one of the fat rich diets. But this is generally considered as a myth because the recommended daily intake of cholesterol is 500 mg and the contribution of cheese towards the cholesterol content is only 26 mg and hence cheeses no longer pose any problem to the consumers by way of increased cholesterol content. Moreover, some cheese varieties have extremely low cholesterol level.

Apart from protein, fat and carbohydrate, cheese serves as a good source of vitamins but it is deficient in Vitamin C, which is lost during manufacture through whey. In order to avoid being deficient in Vitamin C, one has to supplement the cheese diet with some citrus fruits and vegetables. Though most of the water soluble vitamins get lost in the whey component during cheese making, sill the concentrated form of cheese serves as a good source of these vitamins. Cheese is again rich in bone forming minerals especially calcium.

Cheese - Its Uses!

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Uses of Cheese

The use of cheese varies widely depending up on the country. For e.g. in Holland and France the cheese is consumed during any meal irrespective of whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner. Whereas in England, cheese is not normally consumed during breakfast. The role of other dishes in improving the consumption of the cheese has to be mentioned here. For e.g. certain dishes such as hamburgers and pizzas greatly contribute to the excess cheese consumption in U.S and some parts of the Western Europe where these kinds of foods are becoming more popular.

Other factors

Other factors that influence the consumption pattern of the cheese include availability of different varieties of cheese in the market coupled with economic standards of the people. Health concerns make the people to choose cheese containing low fat. Advertisements in the print and visual media especially about different varieties of pizza generally boost the consumption of cheese. There is no ban on consumption of cheese by great religions and hence people of different religious faith welcome it. However, there are still some problems like kosher and halal products but these difficulties can be surmounted by using right ingredients and adopting approved manufacturing practices.

CHEESE STANDARDS

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Standards and specifications of Cheese

The objective of specifications and standards in any country is to protect and safeguard the interests of the consumers, to produce a quality product and to precisely describe individual cheeses in order to help ensure free and fair practices in international trade. The FAO / WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission consisting of 122 member counties has been set up to establish standards for important milk products including cheese. The reports published by the body details the standards and specifications for 35 cheese varieties.

The International Dairy Federation provides details about 510 cheese varieties manufactured throughout the world. In general, the composition of individual varieties of cheese produced in different countries remains similar although minor differences occur between different countries. For e.g. the moisture content of cheddar cheese varies widely with the moisture content ranging from 37 to 39%.

Consumption of cheese

The consumption of cheese differs widely between different countries. It is the highest in developed countries (more than 10 per kg per head) such as US and states of European Union where as it is lower in developing countries (less than 10 per kg per head) or almost nil in some of the impoverished states where the human development index is low.

The consumption pattern of cheese varies and is influenced by many factors including food habits and when the habit is once established, it is very difficult to break. A positive correlation exist between cheese and wine consumption where as no such thing exist between cheese and milk consumption.

Cheese - How it was made accidentally

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USE OF ANIMAL SKIN / STOMACH AS CONTAINERS

The traditional containers for carrying and storing milk used to be made from animal skins or stomachs. Clotting of milk was noticed when it is kept undisturbed in the containers made of animal skin due to the development of acidity as a result of bacterial activity. Another possible reason for the clotting could be ascribed to presence of clotting enzymes originating from stomach. During the process, a soft coagulum was formed and some of the liquid portion (called whey) was absorbed in to the skin, which later evaporated. The coagulum thus obtained was later concentrated further by squeezing and drying in the sun.

The product i.e. cheese obtained was found to have a better keeping quality than the original milk owing to increased concentration of lactic acid which prevented the growth of contaminating type of bacteria that resulted in severe off flavours. But a longer shelf life was achieved by dipping the concentrated curd in brine solution (salt solution), which added to the palatability of the product. The product was later known as ‘pickled cheese’ which is still manufactured in parts of Middle East. Cheeses such as Feta, Domiati, Akkawi, Halloumi can be cited as examples for these pickled varieties.

PICKLED CHEESE

The popularity of the pickled cheese slowly grew within the eastern Mediterranean region and it spread to other parts of the world especially to the west in the Europe. The tradesmen from these countries considerably helped in spreading the popularity of pickled cheese. As the pickled cheese gained popularity and became an acceptable dairy product in Europe, efforts were made to know its manufacturing technique and produce it locally in Europe. Later as the dairy industry made rapid strides, Europe saw the establishment of many advanced processing dairies. Some modifications were made in the cheese preparation, especially with regard to preservation of cheese in brine solution (partial brining was followed) in order to suit the prevailing temperate climate of the Europe. For e.g. Development of a new variety of cheese known as ‘Dutch Cheese’. Some times dry salting was resorted to because the curd produced was much drier.

Because of the continuous change in the manufacturing procedure to suit the local taste, the initial soft variety of cheese gave birth to hard pressed variety cheese or simply hard cheese. The advantage of hard cheese is that they can be stored for a longer duration at higher ambient temperature with out spoilage. Classical of the hard cheese is ‘Cheddar cheese’ and cheese developed in other British territory.

Cheese - How it was made accidentally

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USE OF ANIMAL SKIN / STOMACH AS CONTAINERS

PICKLED CHEESE

Cheese Making - the modern way

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Modern Cheese Making

It is generally assumed that the modern cheese making could have evolved from mainly two stages, the first being production of fermented or sour milk product for e.g. Leben, Aryan, Yoghurt etc. The second stage involves removal or separation of whey from milk coupled with addition of salt. E.g. concentrated yoghurt, yoghurt cheese, or soft cheese.

It can be said that the characteristic climatic factors of the Middle East (subtropics) played a major role in the development of cheese. The existence of high ambient temperature coupled with presence of millions of microorganisms in milk led to the souring or fermentation of the milk. The source of bacteria found in milk may be from the animal, the hands and body surface of the milkman, the surface of the utensils used for milking or the environment especially when it is dusty and dirty.

The bacteria or simply the microorganisms present in milk can bring about two types of fermentation viz. lactic and non-lactic fermentation.

First let us see what is lactic fermentation?

The fermentation produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) or lactic starter cultures or simply starters, which metabolizes the lactose (milk sugar) present in milk in to lactic acid along with some pleasant flavours due to the production of diacetyl, acetoin and 2,3 butylene glycol. The end product is more desirable and pleasant to eat.

What is a non-lactic fermentation?

The non-lactic fermentation is brought about by the microorganisms other than that of LAB i.e. lactic acid bacteria. For e.g. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Flavobacterium, Micrococcus, Microbacterium etc. The end product obtained is usually stale and insipid or of bad taste when consumed.

History and origin of Cheese Making

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Cheese making is one of the ancient methods followed by the mankind the preservation of highly perishable and nutritional foodstuff like milk and converted in to a product which will be least susceptible for deterioration. Although the exact origin of cheese cannot be determined but from the archaeological evidence available with us, we can trace the origin to 6000 – 7000 B.C. A famous quote from a philosopher says

“The continued existence of man was primarily influenced some ten to fifteen thousand years ago by change in his way of life from being a food gatherer to a food producer”.

It can be inferred from the above quote that the transition from gatherer to producer was gradual and took place at different parts of the planet during different time intervals. During this period, domestication of animals is one of the important incidences of civilization. Man started to utilize the milk of domesticated animals such as cow, buffalo, goat and sheep.

Concentration, drying, fermentation, and salting are some of the methods of preservation of perishable commodities like milk known to the earlier mankind. Cheese is without doubt, a fermented dairy product, and in addition to the fermentation process, it is concentrated and salted. The earliest origin cheese can be traced back to the Mediterranean region in the Middle East.

Historical background of Cheese Development

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Cheese is considered as one of the oldest foods of mankind. It formed an important component of the Roman and Greek diet even before 2500 years. In Old Testament, we can find many references for the term cheese. It is believed that cheese is accidentally prepared in the stomach of animals carrying milk, during the process, the milk clotting enzymes rennin and pepsin, coagulated the milk and converted it in to a solid junket.

Till the year 1850 AD, cheese production was restricted to the “farmhouse”. The period 1860 - 1885 was considered crucial for cheese development as important developments took place during this time and factory system of cheese making was introduced to the cheese making countries. The first and the best-known cheese may be considered as ‘Cheddar Cheese’. The name Cheddar originated from the town of Cheddar located in the Somerset county which forms part of south western England. Although the ‘Cheese Cheddar’ originated from England, many variants of Cheddar cheese are now available throughout the world like American, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and Indian Cheddar.

A Brand New Blog on Cheese

2007-01-14T04:20:00.000-08:00

Cheese, functions as a balance wheel of the dairy industry in advanced dairying countries. "Say cheese" and you are likely to show all your incisors. Beware! Cheese is such a powerful word. It is rich in milk protein, fat, calcium, phosphorous, fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. It is a condensed form of energy. Different varieties of cheese are available throughout the world. Cheese is both palatable and digestible and no wastage at all.