Origin of cheese

Principles of cheese making

Good milk gone bad

- Raw milk left at room temperature will sour and form a gel that will syneresis (whey separation) - Can increase syneresis by cutting heating and stirring

Lloyd Metzger University of Minnesota

- Primitive fresh cheese was made by hanging the curd in a cloth

Trip across the desert

- Milk was stored in the stomach of a calf for a trip across the desert - Enzyme called rennet present in the stomach coagulated the milk and at the end or the trip cheese was produced

Cheese Folk Lore/Trivia

- The art of cheese making has been practice since several centuries BC in the Mediterranean Basin - Captain Bligh and mutiny on the HMS Bounty

Cheese evolution
- Cheese has evolved into many varieties with various compositions, tastes, and shapes

During most types of cheese manufacture:

A large portion of casein and fat in the milk is concentrated in the cheese Cheese keeps longer than milk during storage (ripening) and its properties (flavor, texture, appearance, functionality) change during ripening

Objective of modern cheese making:

- Largest piece 1964 Worlds fair, Wisconsin Cheddar 34,591lbs - Rapidly (manufacture on a time schedule) process milk and precisely adjust the composition of the cheese to control quality and yield

Composition of milk/cheese

Cheese Diversity
- All cheese manufacture involves collection of milk, cheese making, and ripening - Can vary from very simple to complex modern technology

- In its simplest form cheese making is a process of concentrating milk

Milk transport

Cheese making

Adapted from Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods

Adapted from Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods

Industrial scale

Industrial scale

Composition of fresh cheeses

Composition of natural ripened cheeses

Adapted from Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods

Adapted from Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods

Cheese making steps

- Complicated process involving numerous steps and chemical as well as physical changes - Several variable affect yield, composition, and quality of the cheese - Optimization of cheese making is intricate and the process system p y used influences production p costs - Overall a full understanding of the various physical and chemical transformations, their interdependence, and the ways in which they can be affected is needed if cheese making is going to be based on scientific principles instead of rules of thumb and art - Several different disciplines are required including: process engineering, physical chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology

Cheese making steps

Processing steps
- Pasteurization, culture addition, clotting of milk, removal of whey, acid production, salting, curd fusion, and ripening

Processing steps
3. Clotting of the milk:
Enzyme (rennet), acid, or a combination of both results in the formation of a gel Caused by casein aggregation and entrapment of fat plant and microbial based enzymes y available to Also p coagulate milk

1. Milk pasteurization:
HTST or LTLT applied to kill pathogen microorganisms i i Also destroys other microorganisms and enzymes that may be harmful or helpful during cheese ripening

4. Cutting and removal of whey:

Syneresis of the coagulum formed in step 3 Final curd is 10-30% of the weight of the original milk Drier curd is firmer, resistant to mechanical treatment and is easier to transport

2. Addition of culture:
Usually lactic acid bacteria, specific microorganisms added are depend on the cheese variety

Processing steps
Clotting of the milk:

Processing steps
Cutting and removal of whey:

Processing steps
5. Acid production:
Actually occurs at all stages of manufacture as a result of conversion of lactose into lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria (starter culture) Changes in the pH of the curd as a result of acid production p oduct o influence ue ce cu curd dp properties, ope t es, flavor, a o,a and d ripening characteristics

Processing steps
7. Curd fusion:
Can be done by pressing (Cheddar) or melting into a mass (Mozzarella)

8. Ripening:
Storage under defined conditions Microbial, biochemical, chemical, and physical processes occur and result in changes in flavor, texture, and appearance

6. Salting:
Salt is added to the cheese (typically 1-4%), salt content is often expressed as the ratio of salt:moisture Can add salt in various ways but dry salting and brine salting are primarily used Salt influences texture, flavor, and ripening

- Fresh cheeses are not ripening and may not have curd fusion (i.e. cottage cheese)

Cheese varieties
- Cheeses can vary widely in composition and can be manufactured and cured using a wide variety of methods - Results: an enormous variety of cheeses are available

Variations in cheese manufacture

1. Kind of milk:
Cows, goat, sheep, buffalo difference in fatty acid profile, fat globule size, and milk protein fractions

2. Milk standardization:
Fat:protein ratio in the milk and cheese cheese, cheese regulations are typically based on moisture content and FDB (fat on a dry basis)

What can be varied and what are the consequences?

Kind of milk; standardization; cheese milk heat treatment; pre-acidification of the cheese milk; starter inoculum; addition of secondary flora; type of coagulant and method of coagulation; cutting; cooking; curd washing; curd size and shape; resting; salting; additives; pressing; and ripening temp, time, and conditions

3. Cheese milk heat treatment:

Influences the natural bacterial flora, lipase activity, rennetability of the milk, syneresis, and retention of protein in the curd

Variations in cheese manufacture

4. Pre-acidification of the cheese milk:
Pre-culture or ripen the milk prior to renneting can also add acid to the milk Results in a change in the calcium and phosphate content and buffering capacity of the cheese

Variations in cheese manufacture

6. Addition of secondary flora:
Micro flora other than the starter culture can be added Swiss and other cheese with eyes contain proprionic acid bacteria in addition to lactic acid bacteria For surface or internal flora development the milk or cheese can be exposed to bacteria (Limburger) or mold (blue cheese) General the organisms added are mesophilic or thermophilic and decompose lactic acid They influence pH, flavor, and texture of the cheese via proteolysis, lipolysis and formation of flavor compounds

5. Starter culture inoculum percentage:

Adjust to obtain the desired rate of acid production Fast acid production is desired in most cheese Fast acid production shortens the manufacturing time

Variations in cheese manufacture

7. Type of coagulant and method of addition:
Rennet or acid (bacteria or direct acidification) or a combination of rennet and acid Many renneting enzymes are available calf, pepsin from cows, pig, chicken, vegetable (ficin, papain, ), molds (mucos ( mie hei), ), and bacteria bromelin), They type of coagulant used will influence the gel characteristics, syneresis, and ripening characteristics of the cheese

Variations in cheese manufacture

9. Cooking:
Cooking time and temperature influence syneresis, and rennet activity (proteolysis) during ripening Swiss has complete rennet inactivation whereas as Mozzarella has partial rennet inactivation (chymosin is p ) more stable at low pH) The starter culture is also influence by cooking conditions (activity of mesophilic starter is decreased at temps above 30C)

8. Cutting:
Wire knives of varying size and design or a fixed horizontal or vertical rotating knife can be used Syneresis is influenced by curd size and stirring

10. Curd washing:

As much as 200% water can be added to decrease the lactose content of the curd influences final cheese pH

Variations in cheese manufacture

Cooking examples:

Variations in cheese manufacture

11. Curd size and cheese shape:
Final curd size at salting influence salt absorption and cooling rate Final cheese size and shape influences surface area and moisture loss during ripening Large L scale l manufacture f t of f Cheddar Ch dd cheese h utilizes tili 290 Kg blocks

12. Resting:
Time between pressing and salting (Gouda) or time between ditching and salting (Cheddar) Time utilized is variable and depends on the rate of acid production

Variations in cheese manufacture

13. Salting method and salt content:
Dry salting before pressing (Cheddar and similar); brine salting after pressing (Mozzarella, Gouda); dry salting by rubbing on the surface of the cheese (Feta) Salt content varies from .5 to 10% - Feta and Blue are high in salt Salt content has a major influence on flavor, texture, and ripening characteristics

Variations in cheese manufacture

15. Pressing:
Pressing is not utilized for all cheese surface and internal mold ripened cheese is not pressed (mold growth requires air) Can vary from light pressing to pressing in conjunction with a vacuum systems y ( (large g scale Cheddar production) Curd can also be pressed under the whey prior to whey removal (Gouda, Swiss, and Parmesan)

14. Additives:
Spices, etc (caraway, peppers, basil, bacon) are mixed with the curd after whey removal

Variations in cheese manufacture

Pressing:

Variations in cheese manufacture

16. Ripening temperature and time:
Typically the ripening temp is between 5 and 20C (1 day to several years) A higher temperature will speed up the ripening process (temperature has a larger effect on lipolysis than it does on proteolysis); at high temperatures cheese can sag, oil off, evaporate water, and show microbial defects; generally a higher temperature will usually leads to cheese defects Swiss is the exception it is kept at 23C for 5 wks to speed gas production by propionic acid bacteria Surface or internal mold ripened (Camembert 85% RH; Blue hole pierced in the cheese; red smear 9095% RH

How do we look at all these variables?

- A few main variables are the most critical and are influenced in combination - Concept: Controlled approach to cheese technology

Moisture expulsion

Cheese making is really a simple process

Objective is the removal of moisture from a coagulum Key to cheese manufacture: acid production in the vat because the other variable can be controlled How does acid production in the vat influence cheese characteristics?

Acid production in the vat

Basic cheese structure is determined when curd and whey is separated (curd mineral content is critical) The lowest possible pH is determined by the residual lactose present and the final salt to moisture ratio of the cheese Each type of cheese has a characteristic mineral content and pH this is the best way to classify cheese

Basic cheese structure and flavor

Cheese classification