IE63178B1

IE63178B1 - Process for the production of tilsiter cheese and cheese of a tilsiter type

Info

Publication number: IE63178B1
Application number: IE61190A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Helga Schmidt; Philipp Siegbert
Original assignee: Grace Gmbh
Priority date: 1989-02-20
Filing date: 1990-02-19
Publication date: 1995-03-22
Also published as: FI97681B; ATE91385T1; EP0384553A2; FI900826A0; FI97681C; NO179032C; DE3905499C2; NO900785D0; NZ232536A; NO179032B; DE3905499A1; DK0384553T3; IE900611L; EP0384553B1; EP0384553A3; DE59001934D1; NO900785L

Abstract

In the process, in addition to the conventional acidifying organisms, lactobacilli, optionally in combination with other microorganisms, are added to the vat milk, and cheese ripening is carried out in special films. In this manner a cheese is obtained corresponding in flavour, consistency and appearance to Tilsit cheese traditionally prepared by surface treatment, but which has a less strong odour than traditional Tilsit.

Description

PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TILSITER CHEESE AND CHEESE OF A TILSITER TYPE The invention relates to an improved process for the production of Tilsiter cheese and of cheese of a Tilsiter type, which compared with conventional processes brings a significant rationalization and increased economic viability of the cheese ripening process.

The terms Tilsiter and cheese of a Tilsiter type in the invention include cheeses with an ivory-colored to yellow interior with slit-shaped or barley-shaped eyes, round eyes also being possible, which have a dough which is flexible and not short or crumbly. The taste of the cheese according to the invention corresponds essentially to the typical taste of Tilsiter which has been produced in the conventional way, but with a less strong smell.

In the conventional process for producing this type of cheese the flavoring is carried out by surface-treating the shaped cheese block with so-called - Rotschmiere (red smear) -, and the obligatory aerobic Brevibacterium linens is regarded as the essential flavoring agent. After curdling the milk, cutting, pressing and shaping the cheese curds and salting the shaped cheese block, ripening -2takes place in special ripening rooms with controlled humidity and temperature by a costly surface treatment, so-called smearing. For this the cheese surface is first cleaned and then smeared with the surface culture.

This process must be repeated every 2 to 3 days, and the total ripening period takes about 5 to 6 weeks. The traditional process is extremely cost-intensive and no longer viable from the commercial point of view, firstly because the care of the cheese in special ripening rooms requires many staff, and secondly because of the weight losses during the ripening period lasting several weeks.

The production, already known for a long time, of rindless cheese by ripening in films with air excluded has previously only been used with success for the types of , cheese in which the ripening and flavoring is brought about by anaerobic micro-organisms, i.e. for the group of non-surface-treated hard, sliced and semi-hard sliced cheese.

An attempt has already been made to produce Tilsiter using the film ripening process. For this purpose the cheese block was prepared traditionally with the addition of the usual acidifying (starter) cultures, but without surface treatment was packed in film immediately after being salted and underwent a ripening period of several weeks (see e.g. Deutsche Molkereizeitung, F. 50/1970, pages 2357 - 2360). It was found however that the cheese -3obtained had a flat taste not typical for this type of cheese.

To improve the product, attempts have also been made to combine the traditional ripening process with ripening in film. Here the cheese was first smeared for two weeks in the traditional way, then washed and finally packed in films. The cheeses made in this way however also lacked the properties of taste necessary for a quality Tilsiter (c.f. Example 2), and just as before have a very strong smell. In addition the high costs for care and storage during smearing also arise.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a process for the rational and economic production of a Tilsiter and cheese of a Tilsiter type which meets the requirements of taste of a high-quality cheese without having an undesirably strong smell.

To achieve this object the method of the invention is proposed, wherein the micro-organisms as defined according to the invention are added to the tank milk in addition to the usual acidifying cultures and ripening is effected in the special films of the invention.

Surprisingly it has been found in the invention that the special aroma development during the ripening of Tilsiter cheese, which could up to now only be achieved by surface treatment, can be made to take place from the interior if cultures of lactobacilli, preferably in -4combination with further micro-organisms as subsequently defined herein, are additionally added to the tankmilk and then immediately after salting the cheese block is packed for ripening in special films, with a gas permeability in Oxtran for 02 for 80-600 and for CO2 of 300-3000 cm3/m2 x d x bar and which have a water vapour permeability of a maximum of 25g/m2 x d ASTM at 38°C and 90% relative moisture.

Surprisingly, such films allow the diffusion of the 10 C02 form the inside without the formation of excess pressure and at the same time allow oxygen to enter at such an amount, that aroma formation is supported and mold formation on the surface of the cheese is prevented. According to the invention a diffusion equilibrium is obtained, in which undesired inflation and a formation of non-typical eyes is prevented, but at the same time excellent aroma formation is supported and drying and contamination of the surface are counteracted.

In practicing the method of the present invention it is preferred to use multi-layer films. These can have at least one outer polymer layer and one inner heat sealable layer and optionally a gas barrier layer between these layers. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention shrinkable films having a shrinkable rate of 10 to 60%, preferably 30 to 50% are used.

Examples for triple-layer films, usable according to -5the invention are such which have an inner layer of an ethylenevinylacetate (EVA), a gas barrier layer of e.g. plasticised vinylidenechloride-vinylchloride (VDC-VC)copolymers or ethylene vinylalcohol copolymers (EV-OH) and optionally EVA and an outer layer of EVA.

The inner layer can in addition contain, or be comprised of an ionomer, the gas barrier layer can for example also consist of PVDC or partly hydrolyzed EVA (EV-OH) alone and between the outer and inner layers and the gas barrier, adhesive layers can be provided, e.g. of EVA.

The inner layer of the films should be such that even when there is fat contamination an even seal is achieved.

It has been found that in this respect films are particularly useful of which the inner layer consists of a copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-olefin with 4 to 8 carbon atoms per molecule, the copolymer having a density of less than 920 kg/m3. More details of these films can be found in EP-A-217 252, the disclosure of which is expressly included in the present description.

Co-extruded four- and multi-layer, e.g. six-layer laminate films preferably in the form of shrinkable films are used in the invention which are in addition crosslinked on a molecular level. The cross-linking can be effected by e.g. radiation.

Suitable 6-layer films can have an inner layer of -6LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) or VLDPE (very low density polyethylene) or mixtures of the same, an adjacent EVA-layer, a subsequent adhesive layer, a middle layer of EV-OH alone, or mixtures of the same with a polyamide, as for instance nylon 126, a further adhesive layer, attached thereto, and an outer layer of EVA.

Examples for suitable four-layer films are such, in which the inner layer (A) consists of a copolymer of VLDPE (very low density polyethylene) with about 7 to 25% of an alpha-olefin such as 1-octene, referred to the copolymer. The adjacent layer (B) can consist of an ethylenevinylacetate copolymer with 5 to 30%, preferably 5 to 15% vinylacetate (VA) and the layer (C) following this can consist of a vinylidenechloride-vinyl-chloride (VDC15 VC) copolymer with 5 to 30% VC or ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymers (EV-OH) and the usual additives such as polybutylene glycolester, a polyester of propyleneglycol and adipic acid and an epoxide resin. The outer layer (D) corresponds in its composition with the middle layer (B).

The total thickness of these films is about 45 to 75 μτα, preferably 50 to 65 μτα and particularly preferably 57 to 65 gm. The proportion of the layer (A) to the total thickness of the film which is particularly preferred according to the invention can be 5 to 15, preferably 8 to 12 and particularly preferably 10 gm. The proportion of layer (B) can be 20 to 35, preferably 25 to 30 and -Ίparticularly preferably 27μπι. The proportion of layer (C) can be 2 to 8, preferably 3 to 7 and particularly preferably 4 to 6 gm and the proportion of the outer layer (D) can be 10 to 25, preferably 15 to 20 and particularly preferably 16 to 18 μη.

Examples of the compositions of films I to III which are suitable according to the invention are reproduced in Table I.

TABLE I LAYER RAW MATERIAL I II gm wt-%* μπι wt-%* III μπι wt-%* Inner (A) VLDPE/19% 1-octene (Stamylex GB-076, DSM NL) 10 15 10 15 10 15 Middle (B) ethylenevinylacetate/9% VA (Evatane V1020 VN3 Atochem PR or 27 43 27 43 27 44 1 00 Escorene Ultra EX 363 BA 1 Exxon Chemical BE) Middle (C) mixture of: 6 16.0 5 15.5 4 12.0 (1.) VDC-VC-COpol./22.5% VC (Ixan WV 320, Solvay BE) 14.6 3.4 10.5 (2.) polybutyleneglycolester (Priplast 3132, Unichema NL) 0.8 1.0 0.9 (3.) polyester propyleneglycol. adipic acid (Hallo HA-7A, C. Ρ. HA11, USA) 0.5 0.5 0.5 (4.) expoxide resin (DER 331, Dow Chem. CH) 0.1 0.1 0.1 Outer (D) (cf. (B) ) 16 26 17 27 18 29 wt% referred to the whole film -910 These films have an O2 permeability of 100 to 300, preferably from 150 to 200 and a C02 permeability of 900 to 1300, preferably from 1000 to 1200 cm3/m2 x d x bar and a water vapour permeability of 9 to 13, preferably from 11 to 12 g/m2 x d. Their rate of shrinkage in the longitudinal direction is from about 30 to 40%, preferably 35%, and in the transverse direction from about 40 to 50%, preferably 45%.

The particularly preferred film I as in Table I has an 02 permeability of about 175 and a C02 permeability of about 1100 cm3/m2 x d x bar and a water vapour permeability of about 11.5 g/m2 x d.

The films used according to the invention surprisingly permit a ripening process as necessary for the formation of the typical Tilsiter taste and for the development of slit-shaped eyes, in which the gases which evolve, primarily C02 and propionic acid, can diffuse off in sufficient quantities. Contrary to the teaching of the -10prior art (see Deutsche Molkereizeitung, as referenced above) they permit oxygen to pass in such amounts, that aroma formation is supported and the development of grease and mold on the surface of the cheese is prevented.

It has finally been found that by selecting films with a water vapour permeability within the given range an optimum cheese surface is obtained. With a water vapour permeability of more than 25 g/m2 one must expect weight loss, rind formation and mold, while below about 5 g/m2 the cheese surface may be greasy.

For the optimum implementation of the ripening process it is in addition necessary for the film to form a skin-tight coating around the cheese. This prevents airinclusions which would favour the development of mold and an uncontrolled ripening process. The closely fitting film also offers protection against contamination when the cheeses are sliced for sale.

It is additionally necessary for an optimum ripening process that there are no imperfections in the sealing of the films.

The interaction of the selected film characteristics allows the cheese block which contains the micro-organisms used according to the invention to be ripened in a process, as the result of which a rindless Tilsiter cheese of Tilsiter type cheese with the well-balanced flavour -11properties of a high-quality cheese and an excellent consistency is obtained, but which does not have the undesirably strong smell of the traditional Tilsiter.

According to the invention lactobacilli are added to the tank milk in an amount of 103 to 108 cells/ml of tank milk. Suitable species of Lactobacilli are L.helveticus, L.delbrueckii suspec. bulqaricus or subspec. lactis.

L.casei. L.plantarum. L.fermentum and L.pseudoplantarium, L.helveticus and/or L.delbrueckii. subspec. buloarius or lactis are particularly preferred. The use of lactobacilli alone leads to a relatively mild Tilsitertype cheese with a round, full-bodied taste.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention lactobacilli, particularly L.helveticus and/or L.delbrueckii subspec. bulqaricus or lactis are added to the tank milk in combination with cultures of bacteria of the genus brevibacterium and/or athrobacter in an amount of 103 to 108 cells/ml referred to the tank milk.

Preferred strains of brevibacterium are B.linens and B.casei.

Surprisingly, the combination of lactobacilli with the obligatory aerobic Brevibacterium linens under the conditions selected to the invention particularly results in the formation of the typical piquant Tilsiter flavour.

For further taste variations cultures of geotrichum -125 and/or yeasts can additionally be added in amounts of 102 to 106 cells/ml referred to the tank milk. Geotrichum candidum has proved particularly useful as the geotrichurn and Debaromvces hansenii as the yeast.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention a combination of Lactobacillus helveticus and Brevibacterium linens each in an amount of 103 to 107 cells/ml of tank milk and Geotrichum candidum in a quantity of 102 to 105 cells/ml of tank milk, are added to the tank milk.

All of the above micro-organisms are commercially available and commercial strains of these micro-organisms can be successfully used in the method of the invention.

In addition particularly suitable strains of the following micro-organisms have been deposited at the Deutsche Sanmlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH (DSM) on February 5, 1990 under the rules of the Budapest Treaty, and have been allotted the indicated deposition numbers: 1. Lactobacillus helveticus DSM 5780, 2. Brevibacterium linens DSM 5781, 3. Geotrichum candidum DSM 5775, 4. Debaromvces hansenii DSM 5774.

The process according to the invention can be carried out by raw milk e.g. heated and/or bactofuged in the conventional way being stored in a milk vat, the pH value -13of the tank milk should be about 6.4 to 6.8 and the protein titer about 2.8 to 4.0, the fat content should be selected such that an end product is obtained in the range of about 20 to 60% fat in dry weight.

The milk is then transferred into a commercially known cheese-making machine and at the same time homogeneously mixed with a starter (acidifying) culture. The preparation Probat 505 from the Wiesby Company can for example be used as the starter culture. The preparation contains Streptococcus lactis. Streptococcus cremoris. Streptococcus lactis subspec. diacetvlactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subspec. cremoris and is added in an amount such that the total cell count in the tank milk is about 105 to 107 cells/ml.

' In addition the usual additives can also be added to the milk, e.g. calcium chloride and saltpeter and also optionally coloring additives such as carotin.

Finally, the special cultures according to the invention are added to the tank milk in the amounts given above and the milk is curdled at about 30 to 32’C preferably with liquid rennet (rennet strength 1:15,000) or powder rennet.

The time required for good coagulation of the tank milk depends on the amount of rennet used; it is normally about 35 to 40 minutes.

The gel obtained is then in a manner known per se cut -14up with the cutting frame of the stirrer whereby first a circulating cut is made until some whey appears. Then the real curd making begins and within 20 minutes the desired curd size should be achieved. According to the invention the cheese curds should be approximately pea-size, and an even cutting can be achieved by slowly increasing the rate of rotation of the cutting tools as a function of the firmness of the curds. For example, the first and the second stage can be carried out for 5 minutes at 25% of the full rotation speed and the third stage for 10 minutes at 35% rotation speed.

Usually the curd has been sufficiently cut into particles after 20 minutes to allow a large proportion of the whey to be drained off through a sieve. The degree of acidity of the whey should be 4.6 and the pH value 6.4.

The curd is generally washed again with water at a high temperature, e.g. 80’C, and reheated at between 36 and 37°C.

Following this treatment the whey can be drained off 20 again and at this stage the pH value of the whey is normally between 6.2 and 6.3.

The cheese curds thus obtained should preferably be firm and of good texture. When pressed together firmly in the hand the curd should come together in a ball and when rubbed again should break down into the individual curd particles. When this condition is reached the curd is -15emptied into molds so that a considerable amount of air can enter between the curd particles. This step promotes the development of the typical Tilsiter slit-shaped eyes. To obtain an even eye development emptying should take place in one flow. The cheese mass may then be pressed into molds. The shaped cheeses can be stored in a water bath for a few hours and then salted. According to the invention storage can be in salt bath vats without it being necessary for the cheeses to be turned. Preferably a salt brine of about 20 Be is used and the cheeses should be stored so that they can float freely. The pH value of a salt brine of this type is approximately 5.0 to 5.2. After about 24 hours the cheeses should have reached a pH value of 5.1 to 5.3, preferably 5.2, and they can then be removed.

It is a particular advantage of the process according to the invention that the cheeses can be packaged while damp. Only a short period of drying is necessary and the relatively moist surface even offers a certain protection against the development of surface contamination.

The cheeses are preferably put into bags using a bagfilling device, so as also to eliminate contamination here as far as possible.

The subsequent removal of air from the bag must be carried out according to the invention under careful conditions so as not to endanger the development of slit-16shaped eyes during the ripening process. This stage should preferably be carried out with an internal bag pressure of 400 to 700 mbar absolute.

Closing the bag can be carried out both by sealing and by a clip closure. The film is then shrunk on to the cheese either in the water bath or in the shrinking tunnel. The film should lie like a second skin on the surface of the cheese.

Any water droplets still adhering can be removed, e.g. with a CryovacR-blow-off device, to make it possible for the individual cheeses to be labelled according to weight and to be immediately packed in boxes.

The ripening of the cheese can then take place in a normal storage area at temperatures of e.g. 5 to 25’C, preferably at 8 to 12eC. The ripening period lasts about 4 to 8 weeks depending on the temperature but storage can be extended up to several months, e.g. up to 8 months.

The invention method offers great advantages over the conventional process for the production of Tilsiter. The surface-treatment in special ripening rooms, which is costly both financially and in personnel, is not necessary and a cheese is obtained which in every respect meets the consumers' expectations for a good Tilsiter or Tilsiter type cheese (cf. Example 2, particularly Table II).

By varying the total amount and the quantitative composition of the special cultures added to the tank milk -17the flavour of the cheese produced can be consistently controlled, and in this way milder types of Tilsiter which are increasingly preferred by the consumer can also be produced. A particular advantage of the cheese produced according to the invention process is that it has the typical taste of conventional Tilsiter but without its undesirable smell.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following examples. -18Example 1 ,000 litres of raw milk was heated for 15 seconds at 67 to 68°C and bactofuged and then transferred into a milk tank. The pH value of the tank milk was about 6.5.

The milk was then run into a cheese producer with a connected Gad-press, and heat treatment was carried out once again for 15 seconds at 71 °C immediately prior to the cheese-making machine.

While the tank milk was running into the cheese fermenter a liquid acidifying-culture (starter, Probat 505, of Wiesby) comprising about 70% of Streptococcus cremoris and Streptococcus lactis. about 5% of Streptococcus lactis subspec. diacetvlactis and about 25% of Leuconostoc cremoris as starter culture was added in an amount of 160 litres and mixed homogeneously with the entering tank milk so as to bring about an even curdling throughout. The pH value of the starter culture (Probat 505, Wiesby Company) was about 4.6.

In addition 4.5 kg of calcium chloride, to improve the effect of the rennet, and 2.55 kg of sodium nitrate, to suppress unwanted gas formation, and 2.55 kg of carotin as a coloring agent was added to the tank milk and mixed evenly.

The mixture was then admixed with a mixed culture of 7500 ml of Breviacterium linens (5 χ 105 cells/ml of tank -1910 milk), 750 ml of Geotrichum candidum (5 χ 103 cells/ml of tank milk) and 1.5 kg of a deep-frozen culture of Lactobacillus helveticus (2 χ 106 cells/ml of tank milk).

After thorough mixing the batch was curdled with rennet using 4.2 kg of liquid rennet (rennet strength 1:15000) at 30 to 32’C. The curdling period was 17 minutes and the total period of coagulation was about 35 to 40 minutes.

The gelatinous mass was then first divided with the cutting frame of the stirrer by a circulating cut and after the first whey is expelled the real making of the curd began. In the course of 20 minutes the curd was cut to the size of peas, the speed of rotation of the cutting tools slowly being increased to 35%.

After a standing period of about 20 minutes 6000 litres of whey was drained off through a sieve.

The curd was then washed with 1500 litres of water at a temperature of 8O’C and a stirring speed of 65%, and the mixture was reheated for 50 minutes at 37’C.

Following this treatment 2000 liters of whey was again drained off.

The curd obtained was firm and had good texture. It was emptied loosely from the cheese producer through a vibrating sieve into pressing vats. In this stage of the process part of the whey drains off again.

In the pressing vats the mass was pre-pressed for 7 -20minutes at 6 bar and then pressed for 3 minutes with a molding press with an initial pressure of 0.3 bar and then for 10 minutes with a high compressing pressure of 0.6 bar. In total 360 cheese loaves each weighing about 4 kg were produced. The pH value of the cheese was 5.3.

The loaves were stored for approximately 3 hours in a water bath of about 30’C and then for 40 hours in a salt bath. The concentration of the salt brine was 19.5 Be.

After this the loaves were transferred directly to 10 packaging after a short drying period. The pH value of the cheese was 5.16 at this stage.

The loaves were transferred individually by an automatic emptying apparatus into bags of the film marked I in Table I. The air from the bag was completely removed under a mild vacuum up to an internal bag pressure of 500 mbar and the bags were closed by sealing.

The film was then shrunk onto the cheeses at 85’C in the shrinking tunnel and the latter were packed in boxes. -21Example 2 The loaves of cheese in Example 1 were assessed after a ripening period of 6 weeks.

For this random samples were taken and assessed 5 according to the Cheese Regulations.

In this assessment process the external appearance, the internal appearance, the consistency, the smell and the taste of the cheese are evaluated and compared with the required properties.

The required properties for Tilsiter cheese in the Cheese Regulations are shown in Table II: -22TABLE II Assessment according to the Cheese Regulations Appearance - External Appearance - Internal Smell/Taste Consistency Well dried smear, also washed after completed ripening, also rindless Ivory-colored to light yellow, eyes of slit or barley-shape, also round eyes, dough flexible but not sharp or crumbly slightly tangy to piquant, also sharp but not seur A maximum of 5 points can be given for each of the above parameters. A cheese may be described as high-quality cheese if it gains at least four points for each of the assessed properties.

The four cheeses were each individually assessed under the above criteria by the number of experts indicated in Table III.

The results are reproduced in Table III.

They show that with the process according to the invention a Tilsiter cheese can be produced which cannot be differentiated from conventional Tilsiter as regards the external and internal appearance and the consistency of the cheese and that its smell and taste meet the requirements for a a high-quality cheese.

TABLE ,ΙΙΙ _Average number of points_ Sample I II III IV Average value Total No. of Assessments Appearance external Appearance internal Consistency Smell Taste 11 5.0 4.64 4.82 5.54 4.27 19 5.0 4.84 5.0 4.63 4.21 16 5.0 4.75 4.93 4.69 4.31 16 5.0 4.75 5.0 4.69 3.75 5.0 4.8 4.9 4.7 4.1

Claims

1. A process for the production of Tilsiter and cheese of a Tilsiter type by (I) curdling tank milk, (II) cutting, pressing and shaping the cheese curds and salting the cheese loaf and (III) ripening the shaped cheese loaves to give the typical Tilsiter flavour, characterized in that in Stage (I) lactobacilli are added to the tank milk in an amount of 10 3 to 10 8 cells/ml of tank milk and in stage (III) the shaped cheese loaf is packaged immediately following salt treatment under a mild vacuum in a film which has an O2 permeability of 80 to 600 cm 3 /m 2 x d x bar, a C02 permeability of 300 to 3000 cm 3 /m 2 x d x bar each (in Oxtran measurements) and a water vapour permeability of a maximum of 25 g/m 2 x d in ASTM measurements (ASTM standard no. E96-63T) at 38°C and 90% relative moisture.

2. A process according to claim 1, characterized in that in Stage (I) L. helveticus and/or L. delbrueckii subspec. bulqaricus or subspec. lactis are added to the tank milk as the lactobacilli.

3. A process according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that in Stage (I) bacteria of the genus brevibacterium and/or athrobacter are added to the tank milk in an amount of 10 3 to 10 8 cells/ml of tank milk.

4. A process according to claim 3, characterized in that -25B. linens and/or B. casei are used as the bacteria of the genus brevibacterium.

5. A process according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in Stage (I) in addition geotrichum and/or yeasts are admixed with the tank milk each in an amount of 10 2 to 10 6 cells/ml of tank milk.

6. A process according to claim 5, characterized in that G. candidum is used as the geotrichum.

7. A process according to claims 5 or 6, characterized in that Debaromvces hansenii is used as the yeast.

8. A process according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that in Stage (I) L. helveticus in an amount of 10 3 to 10 7 cells/ml, Brevibacterium linens in an amount of 10 3 to 10 7 cells/ml and Geotrichum candidum in an amount of 10 2 to 10 5 cells/ml are added to the tank milk.

9. A process according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in Stage (III) a shrinkable film with a shrinkage rate of 10 to 60% is used.

10. A process according to claims l to 9, characterized in that in Stage (III) a laminate film of at least two layers is used.

11. A process according to claim 10, characterized in that in Stage (III) a laminate film of four or six layers is used.

12. A process according to claim 11, characterized in that a four-layer laminate film is used, the inner layer -26(A) being of a copolymer of VLDPE and 7 to 25% by weight, calculated on the copolymer, of an alpha-olefin, the middle layer (B) being of ethylenevinylacetate with 5 to 30% vinylacetate and the middle layer (C) being essentially of a VDC-VC copolymer with 15 to 30% vinylchloride and the usual additives and the outer layer (A) corresponding in its composition with the middle layer

13. A process according to claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the film has an O 2 permeability of 100 to 300, preferably 150 to 200, and a C0 2 permeability of 900 to 1300, preferably from 1000 to 1200 cm 3 /m 2 x d x bar, a water vapour permeability of 9 to 1433, preferably from 11 to 12 g/m 2 x d, and a shrinkage rate of 30 to 40%, preferably 35% longitudinally and 40 to 50%, preferably 45% transversely.

14. A process according to Claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described.

15. A Tilsiter or Tilsiter type cheese when prepared by a process according to any one of Claims 1 to 14. Dated this the 19th day of February, 1990