FR2526635A1 - Cheese with low mineral content prodn. - by sterilising part of centrifuged milk, forming cheese and immersing in brine - Google Patents

Abstract

A cheese with low mineral content is prepd. by (a) centrifuging milk, (b) sepg. and sterilising the germ-enriched part of the milk and returning it to the milk, (c) prepg. a cheese in the usual way, and (d) treating the cheese with brine to give a salt content in the dry cheese of not more than 3% (0.5-2.5%). The milk may be pasteurised or not. Centrifuging and sterilisation may take place in a "Bactotherm" (RTM) appts. Bacterial culture(s) may be added to the milk, to promote a desired fermentation and to obtain an Emmentaler type cheese. Addn. of specially selected strains of Lactobacillus and propionic acid bacteria is claimed. Development of aerobic bacteria and spore-formers is checked to such an extent that the mineral salt content of the cheese to be ripened can be very low. Cheese of the Emmentaler type can be prepd. by a simpler process, or cheese of the Gouda type can be obtd. without affecting the keeping qualities or development of bacteria. (Fl).

Description

Process for making a cheese with a low mineral content.

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing cheese with a low mineral salt content, the moisture content of which, measured 14 days after manufacture, is at least 39%.

It is known that milk generally contains a certain amount of clostridia or bacteria (anaerobic) butyric fermentation, lactate fermentation agents which, during the manufacture of cheese, cause the undesirable phenomenon of butyric fermentation, as well as aerobic bacteria and sporulating agents which can also be the cause of undesirable fermentations.

To prevent the development of clostridia from lactate fermentation, it is known to add nitrates to milk intended for caseification.

To avoid, among other things, the further development of sporulation agents which cause undesirable fermentations in the cheese being ripened, salt is added to the curd, or else the cheese formed is treated with a salt solution, so that in dry cheese an average salt content of around 3.5S is obtained depending on the type of cheese. This salt content of 3.5% is considered standard in cheese with the indicated moisture content. higher because, on the one hand, if the final salt content is lower, the undesirable fermentations in question, in particular at the heart of the cheese, can be avoided only in an insufficient proportion, and that, on the other hand, a content in too high salt leads to insufficient development of microorganisms causing the desired transformations. In addition, this salt content is considered important with regard to the consistency of the finished cheese.

For dietary reasons, we have already made so-called low-sodium cheeses. However, in these cheeses, the sodium chloride in common use is replaced by a comparable quantity of another mineral salt, for example ammonium chloride, so that there is no question in this case of a significant decrease in the mineral salt content.

Leaving aside the dietetic goals discussed above, there is a notable need for cheeses with a low mineral content because, from the point of view of public health, more and more people consider- as undesirable the use of relatively large amounts of mineral salts; but also because, for the manufacture of a number of kinds of cheese, for example nut-flavored cheeses, a salt taste which quickly becomes predominant is highly undesirable.

In Dutch Patent Application 65 13251, there is described a process for the treatment of milk containing germs, according to which, part of the milk is enriched in germs by centrifugation and is separated from the rest of the milk, then the part of the milk which is enriched with germs, is sterilized and is remixed with the rest of the milk. With the milk thus treated, which is called bacterofuged milk, we know how to make cheese, the percentage of nitrate to be used can then be significantly lower than the normal proportion. But, until now, we thought that, if the percentage of nitrate to add to milk could actually be lowered, it was not the same for the salt content of cheese during ripening, so that cheese made in this way contains the normal salt content of 3.5X.

We were surprised to find that when the part of the milk enriched with germs and sterilized is added to the remaining part of the milk and, then, cheese is made in the usual way, the development of aerobic bacteria and sporulating agents is slowed down so that it is enough to have in the cheese to refine a very reduced percentage of mineral acids, while maintaining the good quality of the cheese to be produced.

According to the invention, the cheese is therefore produced by first centrifuging the milk, then the part of the milk enriched with germs is separated, is sterilized and is remixed with the remaining part of the milk, and the operations are then carried out in the usual manner. necessary for the manufacture of cheese, the cheese formed being treated with brine so as to obtain in dry cheese an average salt content equal to a maximum of 3.0% and in particular between 0.5 and 2.5%.

It should be noted that, in the review "Voedings-middelentechnologie" 9 (1976), no. 12, following pages, the manufacture of Emmental cheese is described, according to which the milk of casification is subjected to a process of bacterofugation. The basic idea of the invention cannot be drawn from this article, since it is clear that the treatment with brine is carried out so as to obtain a normal salt content for Emmental cheese. In addition, the moisture content of Emmental cheese is at most 36 to 37%, so that this cheese is of a different kind than that which is produced by carrying out the process according to the invention.

Using the basic idea of the invention, it is possible to make an "ordinary" cheese with a lower salt content than the usual content, that is to say a cheese of the Gouda type, of the Edam type. , etc, and that with the characteristic moisture content for a cheese of this type, without harming the qualities of conservation or the development of bacteria. Furthermore, by using the process according to the invention, it is possible to add to the milk to be casified a particular culture of bacteria or a mixture of cultures of bacteria, which makes it possible to promote a desired fermentation without any other fermentation occurring. In this way a cheese can be made which, as regards the composition and the moisture content, has a broad agreement with, for example, a cheese of the genus Gouda, but which with regard to other properties, in particular taste properties, deviates widely.

When the method according to the invention is used, the centrifugation of the milk and the sterilization of the part of this milk enriched with germs can be carried out in a device known per se under the name of bacterotherm.

With the process according to the invention, it is possible to start from both pasteurized milk and unpasteurized milk. The use of unpasteurized milk has the advantage of making it possible to obtain so-called "farmer" cheese but with a much lower salt content than usual.

In the manufacture of cheese, it is generally known that the cheese obtained is softer the lower the salt content and the firmer the higher the salt content. According to the invention, it has also been found that, when the quantity of the part of the milk enriched with germs which is added to the remaining part of the milk is adjusted in a determined manner with respect to the salt content which is desired. finally give the cheese, you can vary the consistency of the cheese within certain limits. So when you have to make a cheese that is particularly poor in mineral salts, you can increase it. firmness of the dough of this cheese by adding to the milk to be casified an additional quantity of the part enriched with germs which comes from another quantity of milk. If, on the other hand, we want to make a "soft" cheese with a content in relatively high salt, one starts from a milk to be casified to which one does not add the total amount of the part enriched in germs which comes from it.

It is further known that the consistency of cheese depends on its fat content and its moisture content or in other words, that the cheese becomes softer as its fat and moisture content increases, and Conversely. If therefore, according to the invention, the amount of the part of the milk enriched with germs which is added to the remaining amount of this milk is adjusted relative to the fat and / or moisture content which it is ultimately desired in cheese, the consistency of this cheese can also be varied between certain limits. This amounts to saying that, in order to make a particularly fatty cheese whose dough is nevertheless "firm" in a sufficient proportion, an additional quantity of the part enriched with germs which comes from another quantity of milk is added to the milk to be casified.

On the other hand, a sufficiently "soft" cheese can be made with a low fat and moisture content by adding to the milk to be casified a quantity of milk enriched with germs less than the quantity that is usually used.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge moreover from the description which follows, from several exemplary embodiments.

Example 1
Raw milk with a fat content of about 2.5 to 3X is centrifuged at a high speed, then the part enriched with germs is sterilized at a temperature of 1350C and, after cooling, is remixed with milk. The milk is then pasteurized for 15 seconds at 730C. Leveur thus pasteurized is cooled to 300C and is introduced into a curd making device while a special lactic acid bacterial culture is added to it. Caca2, a dye, rennet and cultures of lactic bacilli and bacteria of propionic fermentation are then added. To avoid air inclusions, the curd making device is of the closed type. After the curd (25 minutes), the curd is cut at the same time as the whey is drawn off.

With the washing water added (around 20t of the initial quantity of milk), the temperature of the curd is brought to 350C, then nitrate is added in the proportion of 15g per 100 liters of milk. Then, part of the milk still present is removed by aspiration, then the mixture of whey and remaining curd is brought to a device known as "Casomatic" (registered trademark) where the curd blocks are formed. . Then the curd blocks are pressed and salted until they have a salt content of 2.5% compared to the dry matter.

The duration of the salting time is 3 days using the so-called deep salting method, at a salting temperature of 150C and with a brine titrating from 16 to 17 degrees Baumé.

After salting, drying and cooling, the cheese is coated with a synthetic emulsion. For 14 days, the cheese is stored at a temperature below 150C and, during this period, a second layer of plastic is applied. Then, the cheese is stored in a warehouse at a temperature of 18 to 200C and a moisture content of 82 to 88X.

During this time, the bacteria of propionic fermentation develop, so that after 2 to 3 weeks have formed in the cheese the characteristic holes or eyes and the cheese has taken a slightly sweet taste, recalling the taste of nuts. After a storage time of around two months, the cheese is ready for consumption.

Example II
The method according to Example I is used, but this time, a culture of bacteria suitable for the manufacture of Gouda type cheese is added, replacing the cultures mentioned in Example I. This gives a low-fat cheese. content of Gouda type mineral salts.

Example III
The process according to Example II is repeated, but this time from unpasteurized milk to be casified. A cheese with a low mineral salt content of the "farmer" type is obtained.

Claims (4)

Claims. 1. Process for manufacturing a cheese with a low mineral salt content, having a moisture content, measured 14 days after manufacture, of at least 39%, according to which the milk is centrifuged, the part enriched with germs is separated from the milk, sterilized and then mixed again with milk, the cheese then being produced in the usual manner, characterized in that the cheese formed is treated with brine so as to obtain in dry cheese an average salt content of at most 3, 0%. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the salt content in the dry cheese is maintained at a value between 0.5 and 2.5%. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the quantity of the part of the milk enriched with germs which is added to the remaining quantity of this milk is adjusted relative to the salt content which it is desired to have definitively in cheese, the fat and moisture content remains constant, depending on the desired consistency. 4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the amount of the part of the milk enriched with germs which is added to the remaining amount of this milk is adjusted relative to the fat and / or moisture content that one wishes to have definitively in the cheese, the consistency remaining constant depending on the salt content chosen.