Cheese Basics & Good

Manufacturing Procedures

MILKGROUND – 2023
Rachid YAMANE

Natural cheese Process

Cheese Technology:
making cheese
starter cultures
fundamentals & coagulants technologies
Agenda
 PART I: “From Milk to Cheese” cheese making fundamentals
 1. Introduction to the different Cheese categories

 2. Cheese Process lines

 3. Cheese segment & starter Cultures  Acidification & demineralization

 4. Cheese Milk Preparation

 5. Milk Coagulation

 6. Cheese making: Cutting & Stirring, Pressing and Ripening

 7. Cheese Yield, efficiency & Productivity

 PART II: Starter Cultures & Technologies to understand the cheese characteristics

 PART III. Processed cheese segment

 PART I
From Milk to Cheese

3
Cheese Fabrication and key Factors affecting the Quality
Heat treatments Milk Proteins:
Milk Composition Milk Quality thermisation MPC, MF, UF, WP, MWP
Protein/casein Season Total Cell Count Pasteurization
Fat Feed Somatic Cells Bactofugation/HTT
Lactose Lactation Psychotropic bacteria Homogeneization (bars)
Minerals / Ca Breed Enzymatic activities Milk Standardisations:
Coagulation
Storage/Age Coagulant, IMCU, DVI Cultures
pH Milk age – Milk Fat Protein & Fat, ratios,
pHe, Temperature Type of cultures
Ca2+
Demineralization: (meso, thermo, adjuncts)
Cultures vs acids Inoculation rate
Milk Process Protein additions Proteolytic activities
Milk treatments:
T°/P° Coagulum - Gel
Coagulum & Setting time
Hardening/firmness
Curd making Cutting devices/vat knives
Speed & time for cutting
Whey draining
Curd mineralization
Cheese Curd grain size
Scalding/cooking
Temperature & time
Whey separation (separator, Thermic cycle: kinetics
pumping…)

Cheese Ecosystems Maturation &

& Metabolisms: proteolysis,
Ripening Cheese Salting technology:
Process (brine, dry salting)
lypolysis, glycolysis,
Secondary fermentations: conditions Curd Salting and
Pressing
Salt level - time
Flavour (ketones, esters & Pressing Technology:
aldehydes) w/wo gas Pressure/surface, time,
Physical conditions:
formation (lactate Temperature
Temperature, Humidity, Enzymatic Ecology:
fermentations) Curd Composition:
Time
2nd proteolysis: peptides DM, MFFB, Fat/DM, pH Salt & LAB Cultures, remaining
degradation & amino acid Residual sugars coagulant activity,
4 DVI Cultures: Ecology of different strains
accumulations Flavour adjuncts, cell autolysis,
Cristal formation (mineral, (flavour development)
enzyme release
a.ac. Tyrosine)
Cheese manufacturing – Process

Raw milk Pasteurization Vat filling Coagulation

Coagulant
Milk preparation Starters
Standardization ± CaCl2, dyes,...

Cutting / Stirring

± Ripening Moulds Curd w/wo Curd

washing Whey
separation

Salting Pressing
Whey
Cheese manufacturing: follow the water…
…and the minerals (Ca2+)

Milk Cheese

Water

How much? When? How? Which?

 Cheese making – Water management?

 Acidification: starter - lactic, citric, acetic acids - CO2

- Glucono-δ-lactone (GDL),…
 Cutting / stirring
 Heating
 Pressing
 (Salting = rind formation)
Introduction to the different
cheese categories
The Cheese Market in Europe/worldwide
product segments (cheese & powders): 23 000 000 Tones/y

75-80% 20-25%

9
Cheese Groups

10
Definition – 6+1main cheese segments
N°1
N°3
N°2

Pasta filata cheese

Soft/semi-soft cheeses
Hard cheese Semi-hard/yellow cheese N°6
Harder cheeses have a lower moisture content Cheeses that range in texture from semi-
than softer cheeses. They are generally packed soft to firm include Swiss-style cheeses such
into moulds under more pressure and aged for as Emmental and Gruyère. The same
a longer time than the soft cheeses, eg bacteria that give such cheeses their eyes
cheddar or "grating cheeses" such as Parmesan also contribute to their aromatic and sharp Ripened Soft & Blue
and Pecorino Romano—are quite firmly packed flavours. Other semi-soft to firm cheeses cheeses
into large forms and aged for months or years. include Gouda, Edam, Jarlsberg and Soft ripened cheeses, washed
Cantal. rind cheeses and blue cheeses
N°5
N°4

Spreadable and unspreadable Fresh / curd cheese White cheese

processed cheese Milk is curdled and drained, with little other Brined or pickled cheese is matured in a
A food product made from normal cheese processing. Examples include cream solution of brine in an airtight or semi-
and sometimes other unfermented dairy cheese cottage cheese, ricotta permeable container. Varieties of
ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food brined cheese include feta, halloumi,
colorings, or whey. Many flavors, colors, and sirene and telemea, a variant of brinza
textures of processed cheese exist.
Cheese process lines
13 Open systems for soft & white cheeses
 Traditional and modern open vats/basins

 Recent closed system & vat to vat semi-automatic lines

 “Continuous belt system” = continuous coagulator system

Source: Donido Cheese vats Source: Hellotrade.com

14 Open systems for soft & white cheeses
 Traditional and modern open vats/basins

 Recent closed systems & vat to vat semi-automatic lines

 “Continuous belt system” = continuous coagulator system

Source: Tetra DamrowTM “Double O-O vat”

Source: Donido Cheese vats
Double O vats

Source: Bertsch
From cheese vats to OFV then Cooker

3 2 1
17 Open systems for soft & white cheese

 Traditional and modern open vats/bassins

 Recent closed systems & vat to vat semi-automatic lines

 “Continuous belt system” = continuous coagulator system

 Continuous coagulator system: technical
targets for soft and white cheeses
Draining
Moulding pH = 6.20 +/- 0.15 Parameters
Δ pH 0,20 M*+ 1H00 pH 6,10+/- 0,15
M*+ 4H00 pH 5.40+/- 0,15
Day+1 pH 4.80+/- 0,10

Renneting pH = 6.40 +/- 0.15

Temperature 32 to 38°C

Δ M* : Moulding

Cutting and stirring

Optimisation

Size of the curd 1 to 2 cm

18

Source: Alpma
 Cream cheese – Greek yogurt lines

Cream cheese
Fermented Fresh cheese
light creams Quark / thermos
buttermilks quark
Mascarpone
Acid whey cheese
Cheese segments
&
starter cultures
 Product Ranges for the fermented Cheese Markets

2 key families:
Lactic acid culture : For acidification

 Cultures Non-starter lactic acid culture (adjunct) :

For flavor, texture modification, yield improvement

Ripening culture: For color, appearance, flavor

Coagulants : Animal rennet, microbial coagulant

Enzymes
Flavoring enzymes: lipases, endo-peptidases…
 Cheese flavor descriptors

Source: Photo by the Comté Cheese Association

LAB : Lactic acid bateria metabolisms
Homofermentatives
Lactic
Lactose
acid

Lactococcus lactis ssp lactis et ssp cremoris

Lactococcus lactis ssp lactis biovar diacetylactis
Streptococcus thermophilus Acidifying cultures
Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp bulgaricus et ssp lactis
Lactobacillus helveticus – Lb acidophilus

Heterofermentatives
Lactic
Lactose
acid
Aromatic cultures
Acetic CO2
acid
Ethanol

Lactobacillus casei / paracasei – Lb rhamnosus - Lb plantarum

Leuconostoc – Lb fermentum – Lb buchneri – Lb brevis
Lactic cultures : Formulations
• Defined Cultures

Single strains or defined culture blends. Blend after fermentation or co-

fermented.
Rotation 1 Rotation 2 Rotation 3

- Need many rotations for phage robustness

- High isofunctionality

• Complex or un-defined Cultures

Blend of strain with un-defined composition. Only the species ratio is

known. The individual strains are unknown.

Produce using blend inoculum with strictly reproducible conditions of

fermentation.

- High phage robustness

24
Aromatic compounds production through
citrate pathway

H
H3C-C-C-CH3
O OH Acetoin

H3C-C-C-CH3
OO
Diacetyl

• Citrate fermentation can occur for Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar
diacetylactis and for Leuconostoc strains
25
 Temperature & production of aromatic compounds:
26 citrate metabolism

28-30°C

Blend of Lc. Diacetylactis & Leuconostoc

20-22°C
Lactic starter cultures
 Temperature of growth
 Mesophilic : between 20 - 40oC (optimum 30oC)
Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus casei, Lb rhamnosus

Applications : fresh cheese, lactic soft cheese, semi-hard…

 Thermophiles : between 30 - 40oC (optimum 40oC) Blends

St thermophilus, Lb delbrueckii, Lb helveticus, Lb acidophilus, etc commonly
Applications : Semi hard, Hard cheese, Pizza cheese etc… used
Cultures : complementary functionalities
Primary starters
Goal = acidification
ex : Lc + ST for Cheddar, ST + LH/LL for Emmental

Secondary starters
Goal : aspect, taste, color
ex. propionii in Emmental, Penicillium R in blue cheese

Adjuncts
Culture added in addition to boost flavor or texture
Ex : TR160 savoury taste and cristals after 6 month of ripening in cheddar

. ¨ . .. ¨ . : ¨ . :
Primary
. ¨ . .. ¨ . : ¨ . : cultures
Lc + ST Emmental Roquefort Lc + Leuco

Secondary
starters
PAB Penicillium R
 Cheese Making GMP and DVI Starter Cultures

 4 main objectives with different:

- Production of lactic acid
- Citrate fermentation (flavour)
- Protein breakdown (ripening properties: texture & flavour)
- Production of CO2 (eyes formation)

 The Cultures play a major role during the fabrication:

the right Cheese Mineralization & indirectly the Yields

Robustness Vs Milk compositions & phage risks

An innovative approach for Cheese
meeting customer unmet needs for each type of cheese category or producer needs

Combine Approach
Speciality Cheeses , like Brie or Camembert, Ripening cultures
Red smeared cheeses, ethnic cheeses (acidifiers and ripening)

Flavor control
Table Cheese (Cheddar types, (Better, faster)
Gouda types, hard and semi hard cheeses) with cultures
(acidifiers and adjuncts)

Fast acidification - thermophilic

Cheese as Ingredients (Inc. Pizza cheese) (Lactic cultures)
Cost effective coagulants

Natural Antimicrobials
Fresh Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream Mesophilic acidifiers
Flavoring cultures
Cultures acidification and Casein/Calcium equilibrium

pH

Cheese Whey quality

(milk, heat treatments, cultures, pHe…)

pH 6.60 ----------pH6.10
31

(Source: Fondements physicochimiques de la Technologie Laitière)

Work in the vat – The steering wheel
Lactic curd or Rennet curd?
Lactic Rennet

Derived from Sébastien Roustel 2003

From the Milk towards the Cheese Composition

33

Source: ENIL-Poligny (France)

7/9/2023
Vat work : remove water

Cutting : Stiring : Scalding : Wheying off

(delactosage) :
Gel is cutted in Contribute to drain Boost the For semi-hard
cubes. The draining ACIDIFICATION
intra-granular whey contraction of grain cheese only.
surface increases from the curd to curd. Increase A part of the whey
with cutting the liquid phase. elimination of is removed and
intensity. whey. replaced with hot
water.
Action : wash the
curd and increase
syneresis.

SYNERESIS = protein gel contraction

End of process:

Moulding : Pressing : Salting :

Curd repartition in mould. Elimination of inter- Dry or brine.

Give the final shape of the granular whey.
cheese. Action on :
Control by temperature • Protection
Repartition of the curd has and mechanical strength • Taste
a direct impact on yield. (gravity of press) • Minerals exchanges

Whey elimination via Whey elimination via

micro-perforations micro-perforations

Inter-granular whey removal

 Cheese Milk preparation:
composition, CaCl2 and milk heat
treatment
Composition (average) of the milk (g/kg)
Dry matter (MD) : 125 - 130

No Fat Dry Matter (NFDM) : 80 - 90

Lactose : Proteins Minerals (Salts)

Water 870 - 875 Fat : 34 -44 48 -50 29 - 35 8-9

Caseins : 21 – 27

Whey proteins : 5 - 6

Non Protein Nitrogen (NPN) components : 1.5 - 2

« Structurants » « destructurants »

Ca = 1,2 – 1,4 g/l K = 1,4 – 1,6 g/l

P = 0,9 – 1,0 g/l Na = 0,4 – 0,5 g/l
Mg = 0,12 g/l Cl = 1,1 – 1,2 g/l
Citrates = 1,6 - 1,8g/l
 Proteins of the milk

as1 33%
as2 11%
(NT – Caseins b 33%
NPN) * (21 to 27 g.l )k
-1 11% 78%
(g) 4%
6.38 Minerals 8%
100% 94 - 95 %

Protein
(N*6.38) b lactoglobulin 51% (2,8)
Whey alactalbumin 22% (1,2)
Serum albumin 5% (0,3) 17%
proteins Immunoglobulins11% (0,6)
(5,5 g.l-1) Proteosespeptons 11% (0,6)
100% (5,5)
NPN*6.38 5–6%
Fat globule Caseins

Whey
 Milk Composition

Total
Animal Protein % Fat % Lactose %
Solids %
Cow
Holstein 3.5 3.1 4.9 12.2
Jersey 5.5 3.9 4.9 15.0
Ewe 5.3 5.5 4.6 16.3
Goat 5.3 3.1 4.6 12.0
Buffalo 4.0-4.5 6.5-8.0 4.5 15.0-16.0
Human 1.1 4.5 6.8 12.6
Whale 13.6 34.8 1.8 51.2
 Different mozzarella

Mozzarella Buffalo Mozzarella

milk cheese milk cheese

% fat 3,5 16,1 8,2 24,4

% protein 3,2-3,4 19,9 4,3 16,5

% moisture 60,1 55,5

% yield 13 24

Kcal/100 gr 244 288

10/09/13
41
Milk Composition: Protein, Fat, lactose,
urea contents…
Component Protein (%) Fat (%) Lactose (%)

“Low 3.10 +/- 0.2 3.3 +/- 0.3 4.5 +/- 0.1
season”
“High 3.30 +/- 0.2 3.8 +/- 0.2 4.9 +/- 0.2
season”

(source: Handbook of Milk Composition, by R. G. Jensen,

Academic Press, 1995)

42

Key Factors: race, season/weather, feeding/grazing, age,

lactation…
 Mineralization and Casein Micelle Structure

43

Source: Rollema H.S., Casein Association and Micelle formation

(1992)
44 The casein & the Calcium

7/9/2023
Recommendations: CaCl2 addition into the Milk  15-20g/100L of Milk
Or 30-40g of a 50% CaCl2 solution for 100L of Milk
 The Heat treatment of the Cheese Milk

45

Source: Handbook Tetra Processing

Heat Treatment and limits for the whey protein denaturation

Source: W. Strahm & P. Eberhard, Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux (ALP), 2009

 Milk coagulation

47
Lactic curd or Rennet curd? - Coagulation

Primary phase Secondary phase

k-Casein Aggregation process Formation of

 Para-k-Casein starts network
+ GMP Viscosity increase
First sign of coagulation

Impact of:
Impact of: Impact of: - pH
- Temperature - pH - Temperature
- Coagulant - Temperature - Ca++

Clotting time (tC) Hardening time (tH)

Coagulation time (ttotal)

 Cheese manufacturing – milk coagulation
surface Potential:-15 / -20mV

3,7g of H2O / g of Protein

Ca Phosphate

Hydrophilic Zone
Hydrophobic Zone

Submicelles
K caséine
Micelles
Action of the enzymatic coagulant
Primary phase

Secondary phase
51 Our offer

 The ‘’rennet ingredients also include different groups of coagulants:

 Microbial coagulants
 Animal rennet (different chymosin/pepsine ratios)
 FPC (fermentation produced chymosin = GMO technology)
Coagulants : Products and benefits
Name Origin Benefits

Carlina® Animal Traditional product

Adjustable chymosin/pepsin ratio and format
Halal certification available

Marzyme® Microbial Thermolabile or not

Produced by non GM micro-organism
(Mucor mehei) Low cost in use
Halal/Kosher certified
Suitable for vegetarian or organic products

ChymostarTM Microbial FPC product = chymosin from GMM

Halal certification available
Recommended inoculation rate for 100 litres of milk
Acidified fresh cheese: 300 - 900 IMCU
Matured lactic curd: 1000 - 1800 IMCU
Semi-hard cheese: 2600 - 3300 IMCU
Semi-hard cheese, uncooked pressed cheese: 3600 - 5200 IMCU
Pizza cheese/mozzarella 4000 - 5000 IMCU
Cooked pressed cheese: 2900 - 5200 IMCU
Cheddar and Italian semi-hard cheese: 5100 - 5900 IMCU
Temperature

 The relative activity of coagulants is depending on temperature. The

temperature optimum is in the region of 40 C. Microbial coagulants are
more easily inactivated at higher scalds than animal or GM chymosin. This
is especially useful for processes such as Pizza cheese:
pH

 The relative activities of coagulants are pH dependent, the lower the pH the
higher the activity. Marzyme closely reflects the pH activity profile of
traditional rennet.
Coagulant Considerations:

55
Calcium Addition:
 Addition of Calcium Chloride to the cheese milk increases the
activity of Marzyme partly due to a decrease in pH because of the
effect on the Ca2+ H+ balance and also the effect on casein micelle
aggregation.
Optigraph
Coagulum formation

Transmitter Cell
Receiver

r
Clotting time
85% of the k
caseine
Power emission hydrolysed

Time
Optigraph % emission and first derivation in function of time

de/dt 0.5
34 max

32 0.4
Clotting

30
0.3

28 R : clotting time :
% emission

de/dt max

de/dt
% emission
0.2
26 de/dt

24
0.1

22
0
20

18 -0.1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
time in minutes

•r : clotting time

•S6 : Speed of organization of the curd in minutes (time to measure an evolution of 6% of the
signal) . The smaller value, the faster organisation of the curd

•AR: Firmness of the curd at 1R. For a same R, the greater AR, the greater curd firmness
Using different Milks types for cheeses

goat cow goat cow

Sheep milk

Cow
milk

Goat milk

59

renneting
 Milk preparation
1. Milk : Fat 40.1g/L Protein : 33.3g/L
2. Heat treatment : 75C 1’ / 85C 5’ / 85C 10’
3. CaCl2 solution 500g/L  30mL/100L / 125mL/100L / 250mL/100L

4. Effect on pH of the above additions: 6.63 (native) 6.59 (30ml) / 6.43 (125ml) /
6.25 (250ml)

5. Coagulant : Marzyme 15 : 3150IMCU/100L

6. Temperature : 37C

7. The coagulation parameters are determined by attenuation of near infra ray

beam in Optigraph®. Tension : 1V / frequency measurement 15’’
 Calcium ratio influence on the milk treated 1’ at 75C

Optigram 37°C - Impact of CaCl2 solution addition

Milk 75°C during 1'
Marzyme 15 - 3150IMCU/100L •Very high impact on the
30
coagulant activity (R) and on
25
the gel formation speed (S6
decreasing) , probably linked
20
30mL/100L to the coagulant activity
% increase in signal

improving and not to the

15 125mL/100L impact of Ca on the protein
(same S6/R)
10
250mL/100L

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 Optigram 37°C - Impact of CaCl2 solution addition
Milk 75°C during 1'
time in minutes Marzyme 15 - 3150IMCU/100L
3

2.5

30mL/100L
2
Clotting time
First derivation

S6.(minutes) AR (%) S6/R

(minutes) 125mL/100L

30mL/100L 22.9 13.9 8.0 0.60 1.5

125mL/100L 9.7 6.1 8.2 0.62 250mL/100L

250mL/100L 6.5 4.8 7.4 0.73

1

0.5

0
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60
time in minutes
Coagulation measurement
Formagraph

R: Clotting time
K20: Firming time
A30: Firmness 30 min after
renneting Optigraph, Lab
devices
 For a mechanical measurement of milk coagulation properties
 Flexibility: 10 independent mini-vats per run, temperature
regulation
 Usually better understood by production people
62
Coagulation controls: Tprobes, IR sensors…
Coagulation Probe = same sensitivity as
Optigraph: Probe equiped with a heating
resistance (+PT100). Measurement of the
temperature drop when the milk start to
set

Coagulation
85% de k caséine
hydrolysée

Temperature
(probe) Time
7/9/2023
Coagulation follow up
Clotting time + hardening time = coagulation time

65
 Simplified scheme for the curd network

Ca++

Fat Fat Acidity  Ca solubilization

+ + Weak bonds = hydrogen or VdW
Fat Fat H2O
H2O + + Ca++
H2O H2O
Fat open
Fat
+ +
H2O Fat Fat H2O
+ +
H2O H2O close

Rennet  Ca Phosphoparacaseinate
7/9/2023 Strong bonds = Colloidal P (apatite) 66
7/9/
2023 Ph effect on Ca solubilization and their
effect on gel firmness

Alexandros Tsioulpas, Michael J Lewis*

and Alistair S Grandison
67
7/9/
2023
Ph effect on the porosity of the «rennet» gel
Microstructure of the rennet-
induced gel at different pH:

 At max. Viscosity (G’)

pH 6,7 pH 6,4 pH 6,0

 After 2-6 hours

J. Choi,* D. S. Horne,† and J. A. Lucey*1

 At max. viscosity(G’)
pH 5,8 pH 5,6 pH 5,3

 After 2-6 hours

68
 Pizza Cheese & Cheddar
Mineralization: Calcium?
Ca/SNF Values for the Pizza Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese Ca/SNF

DM= 42- F/DM= 40- 2.0-2.5
45% 45%
DM= 48- F/DM= 40- 2.0-2.5
55% 45%

Ca=0.5-0.7 g/100g of
Cheese

(Source: IDF Symposium 1993)

Maintaining the Cheese Page 69
functionalities
 Stretchability of the curd
(does not depend on pH but…)
Dimension of the submicelle
15 10 5 3
nm nm nm nm

pH in fermented pasta 5,6 5,4 5,2 5,0 4,8 4,6

filata
pH in chemically 5,90 5,85 5,80 5,75 5,70 5,65
acidified pasta filata
Ca in the curd 240 220 200 180 160 140
mmol/kg
Ca in the whey % tot. 55 65 75 85 95 100
Submycelles dimension 15-10 10-5 5-3
nm
Structure springy plastic fibrous mealy short
Stretchability Start flowing not Cohesive with good End flowing
cohesive stretchability Not cohesive
« raw » « gone »

70
Curd Firmness & Cutting
• Whilst coagulating: • After cutting:
Smaller curd particles on cutting –
Older milk coagulates slower
more whey expelled.
CaCl speeds coagulation Lower pH more whey expelled.
Higher temperature more whey
Lower pH - firmer curd
expelled.
Higher temperature – firmer curd Allowing the curd to “heal” – a
process pause after cutting or at
Higher temperature – a less defined phases during stirring…
compact protein network & more helps the curd particle surface
fluid fat (higher losses). stabilise reducing fat & protein loss.
Control of gel porosity & final
moisture content.

73
 Characteristics of the curd
74

Mycellar porsity Capyllar porosity of the network

alveolar porosity

“rennet” “lactic”
pH 6,7 - 6,5 pH < 4,60
Modified mycellar structure Destroyed mycellar structure
Mineralised casein Demineralised casein
Strong bonds (elastic and tight) Weak bonds (fragile and brittle)
Low permeability (close myc. porosity) High permeability (open myc. porosity)
contractile (drains by expulsion) rigid (drains by gravity)
Low water retention High water retention
Suitable for mechanical treatment Unsuitable for mechanical treatment

Dario Casali 7/9/2023

75

Source: Mietton (1991)

76 Technology set up of different cheeses
Cheeses Coagulation factors Coagulation parameters Data end fermentation:
Type pH Temp. Dose cutting, hardening, cutting UFD% Ca/ESD% pH
°C IMCU/100 l. In m’

EMMENTAL 6,60 32 4000-5000 20-25 4-5 25-30 54-55 2,85-2,95 5,20-5,30

PIZZA 6,55 40 3700-4500 10-20 5-10 15-30 68-72 2,60-2,80 5,15-5,25
CHEESE
FETA 6,50 38 3500-4000 10-12 30-42 40-54 74-76 1,40-1,60 4,40-4,60
FRESH 6,10 25 50-100 2-4h 12-18h 16-20h 75-78 <0,4 4,40-4,60
CHEESE

lactic / rennet rate at coagulation set Cheese type base on Ca/ESD vs UFD
5000 Pizza 3.5
4500 Cheese 3 Emmental
4000 Emmental (Swiss) Pizza
3500 (Swiss) 2.5 Cheese
IMCU / ml

3000

Ca/ESD
2
2500 Feta (WBC)
2000 1.5
1500 1
Feta (WBC)
1000 Fresh
0.5 Fresh
500 Cheese Cheese
0 0
6 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 45 55 65 75 85
7/9/2023
pH UFD %
Curd Firmness & Cutting
• Whilst coagulating: • After cutting:
Smaller curd particles on cutting –
Older milk coagulates slower
more whey expelled.
CaCl speeds coagulation Lower pH more whey expelled.
Higher temperature more whey
Lower pH - firmer curd
expelled.
Higher temperature – firmer curd Allowing the curd to “heal” – a
process pause after cutting or at
Higher temperature – a less defined phases during stirring…
compact protein network & more helps the curd particle surface
fluid fat (higher losses). stabilise reducing fat & protein loss.
Control of gel porosity & final
moisture content.

77
Yield & Losses:

The older the milk the less the micellar casein (and lower the yield)
Curd not firm enough – loss of fat & protein fines on cutting.
Curd too firm – final cheese too moist – risk of curd tearing on
cutting.
Mayes and Sunderland (1984) looking at Cheddar demonstrated
that the firmness at cutting effected the yield - the firmer the curd
at cutting the better the retention of milk fat.
Monitoring fat losses (and final moisture content) –a mass balance is
thus an important way of exploring process efficiency.

78