226 Chapter 10
color, aroma, fl avor, and texture. These
cheese characteristics have both qualitatively
and quantitatively distinct profi les that set
them apart from each other. Ripening pro-
cesses use activity of bacteria, molds, and
yeasts in the interior body of cheese or at
the cheese surface throughout the ripen-
ing period. In general, a controlled regime
of ripening temperature and humidity is nec-
essary to facilitate the growth of ripening
microorganisms.
Process cheeses and cheese analogs repre-
sent a signifi cant part of cheese industry,
which has broadened the application of
cheeses in our diet and as an ingredient in
food processing.Classifi cation of Natural Cheeses
A number of varieties of cheese evolved over
a long period of time. Concomitant with the
agricultural revolution, the origin of cheese
is believed to be some 8,000 years ago in the
Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers (now Iraq). Cheese making
spread to Egypt, Greece, and later the Roman
Empire. Cheese making know - how was
further nurtured in feudal centers and in mon-
asteries in which several modern day variet-
ies were developed. Cheese makers in the
mountains of Europe particularly specialized
in discreet varieties. Cheese making eventu-
ally was imported by European immigrants
to colonial locations in North and South
America, where more innovations were
introduced. Thus, cheese attained commer-
cial signifi cance in countries such as the
United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and
New Zealand.
Cheese has been classifi ed based on
various criteria. However, the criteria are
insuffi cient to provide a thorough classifi ca-
tion that includes all the types of cheeses.
Cheese may be classifi ed as follows:- Based on the manufacturing procedure
and ripening process
At the turn of the 20th century, develop-
ments in melting processes, involving natural
cheese of various ages, gave birth to a line of
processed cheese products with controlled
fl avor, texture, functionality, and extended
shelf life. This chapter discusses the princi-
ples of cheese making. Basic processes
related to various varieties of cheese are dis-
cussed in Chapter 11.
More than 300 varieties of cheese are mar-
keted in the United States. In 2008, total
natural cheese production was 9,934 million
pounds (IDFA, 2009 ). The Italian cheeses
totaled 4,158 million pounds, American
cheeses totaled 4,071 million pounds, and
other cheeses constituted 1,705 million
pounds. The largest volume in the Italian
cheese group was mozzarella cheese, which
accounted for 3,239 million pounds. In the
American cheese group, cheddar cheese
topped the list at 3,149 million pounds. In the
same year, process cheese foods and cold
pack amounted to 2,191 million pounds.
Defi nitions
Because of the complexities associated with
various types of cheese, an exact defi nition
of cheese is not feasible. A simplifi ed defi ni-
tion follows. Natural cheese (in contrast to
process cheese) is made directly from milk,
cream, buttermilk, or whey. One category of
natural cheese is the fresh, unripened variety
that is obtained from milk, whey, or cream
by direct addition of a food - grade acid or a
coagulating enzyme (rennet) and collecting
the curd. Another type of non - ripened/fresh
cheese may be produced by coagulating milk
with a lactic - acid - producing culture, and
separating the solid curd from the watery
liquid called whey.
The second category of natural cheese
includes cured or ripened varieties. In this
case, the curd obtained after coagulation with
rennet and/or lactic - acid - producing cultures,
is pressed and held at a specifi ed temperature
and time to generate different profi les of