Dairy Ingredients for Food Processing

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Chapter 10

Principles of Cheese Technology

Ramesh C. Chandan and Rohit Kapoor

Introduction

The term cheese belongs to a group of fer-
mented milk foods. Essentially, cheese is a
medium - moisture product (30% to 50%
water) with an extended shelf life. The cheese
making process leads to partial dehydration
which, along with addition of salt and lower-
ing of pH, confers a preservative effect and
safety for consumption. The water activity
(A W ) of a food is an indicator of its stability,
safety, and shelf life. The A W of cheese is
around 0.87 to 0.98, as compared to nearly 1
for milk. The A W is lowered by partial dehy-
dration, which results from the removal of
whey from curd, the addition of sodium chlo-
ride, and the generation of soluble, low
molecular weight nitrogenous compounds
during ripening (Fox, 2003b ; Singh and
Cadwallader, 2008 ). Other factors with pre-
servative effects include lactic acid content
(lower pH than milk) and antimicrobial
metabolites generated by the culture activity,
and use of modern protective packaging tech-
niques. Accordingly, the main milk compo-
nents of cheese, (proteins, fat, and minerals)
are concentrated and safeguarded from rapid
deterioration by spoilage microorganisms.
Cheese is, therefore, a concentrated dairy
food of high nutritional density. It provides
consumers with portability, variety and nov-

elty of fl avors and textures, sound nutrition,

and safety of use.

At present, more than 1,400 varieties of

cheese are enumerated in the World Cheese

Exchange Database, about 400 of which are

the most recognized. In reality, fewer than 25

varieties are popular around the world. The

large variety is essentially the result of his-

torical, geographical, and environmental

origin. The varieties owe their distinct fl avor

and textural attributes to the use of milk of

various mammals, different ingredients, pro-

cessing procedures, ripening conditions, and

the fi nal composition of the cheese. In addi-

tion, various shapes, sizes, and confi gura-

tions, including shredded and sliced versions,

provide versatility of novel applications.

Consumers use these products as ingredients

in popular dishes or as ready - to - eat snacks.

They are designed to be consumed as a

spread or as slices in sandwiches, and to

function as a dip or topping on snacks. As an

ingredient in food products, it is essential to

understand cheese ’ s performance as it relates

to its variety, age, and cost factors.

Cheese making requires four basic raw

materials: good - quality milk, a coagulating

enzyme (rennet) or coagulating acids, culture,

and salt. Cheese can be made from cream;

whole milk; reduced - fat, low - fat, or nonfat

milk; or from mixtures thereof. Some cheeses

are made from whey, whey cream, or whey -

milk mixtures. Furthermore, milk of sheep,

goats, water buffaloes, and other milk -

producing animals yields distinct color,

fl avor, and texture profi les.

Dairy Ingredients for Food Processing edited by
Ramesh C. Chandan and Arun Kilara
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.