WO1993006736A1

WO1993006736A1 - A process for enhancing the quality of cheese

Info

Publication number: WO1993006736A1
Application number: PCT/NO1992/000168
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tom Hoffmann
Original assignee: Norske Meierier
Priority date: 1991-10-10
Filing date: 1992-10-09
Publication date: 1993-04-15
Also published as: NO173801C; NO913980L; NO173801B; NO913980D0; AU2779192A

Abstract

In order to enhance the quality of cheese and especially the eye formation in cheese, for example, semi-soft and hard cheese types, natural milk component particles are added during the cheese-making. It is preferably to add protein particles, and in particular natural milk component particles having a diameter within the range of 0.6 to 2.5 mm. The best results are achieved if the milk component particles are added at the end of the cheese-making, preferably about 5 minutes before the end of the cheese-making.

Description

A PROCESS FOR ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF CHEESE.

The invention relates to a process for enhancing the quality of cheese by providing suitable conditions for even eye formation in the cheese. The eye formation in cheese is a quality parameter to which great importance is attached on the market since it indicates a cheese which has a good flavour and aroma. The problem with compact cheese, ie, cheese with few or uneven eyes, is that it can be difficult to sell a large part of the production on the market.

Over a long period of time, a great deal of work has been put into finding a solution to the problem of uneven eye formation. Through accurate registration and testing, it has been concluded that the real cause of the problem seems to be that the cheese, for one reason or another, in certain production processes forms fewer so-called weak points. These weak poincs can, for instance, be in the form of microscopic air bubbles or particles of the milk that are required for the formation of each eye.

The present process is characterized in that during the cheese- making natural milk component particles are added to the curds. The' process is further characterized in that the particles which are added are natural milk component particles ranging in size from 0.5 to 2.5 mm in diameter.

During the development of the technique described herein, several tests were made with the controlled addition of certain milk protein particles in the cheese vat immediately prior to pumping the product into the moulds for pressing. These tests confirm the theory that a lack of weak points gives rise to a poor eye formation.

By adjusting the dosage of particles one has obtained a cheese with an excellent eye formation. If the dosage is too high and the particles too many, the danger of an uneven eye formation seems to increase.

The particles which are added must be of a certain size and must be added at a certain time in the production process. Both these factors are of importance for the end result.

The particles which are added in the process according to the invention are a natural constituent of milk, and are prepared by conventional methods.

The invention will now be described by means of an example which makes- use of a process which is usual for the production of cheese, and the milk protein particles which are added according to the invention are added towards the end of the cheese-making process.

The production of cheese starts with the pasteurizing of milk at 72°C for 15 seconds. The fat content is standardized in advance at the desired fat content. When making full cream cheese the fat percentage is approximately 2.8. The milk is pumped into the cheese vat at a temperature of 30°C. The milk is pre-ripened by adding a bacterial culture consisting of various lactose acid bacteria, normally a DL culture consisting of Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus diacetilactis and Leuconostoc spp. The additive is from 1 to 2% of the amount of milk used for the cheese-making.

The pre-ripening may take from 25 to 50 minutes. After the pre-ripening, 0.03%- rennet (pepsin/chymosin) is added and the rennet milk coagulation lasts for about 30 minutes.

During the renneting, the milk is kept quiescent so that it can form a coherent coagulum.

The cheese-making process continues thereafter in that the coagulum is cut into pieces by means of rotating horizontal and vertical knives. Two phases are thus obtained, cheese particles and whey. At the end of the preliminary cheese- making, which takes from 30 to 35 minutes, some of the whey is drawn off. The amount may vary, but 40% is usual. Thereafter about 20% hot water is added whilst the mixture is stirred constantly until it reaches a temperature of 37 to 40°C. If necessary the temperature is adjusted by heating the casing of the cheese vat. The total subsequent stirring and heating time will also vary, and will typically be from 40 to 60 minutes. The addition of water and the subsequent heating are vital factors in the regulation of the solid matter content of the cheese.

About five minutes before the end of the cheese-making according to the invention, the natural milk component particles are added. These range in size from 0.6 to 2.5 mm in diameter, and preferably from 0.8 to 1.25 mm. The optimal dosage is about 0.5 to 3 dl per 12 000 1 cheese vat, ie, for each ton of manufactured cheese. This must, however, be adapted to the production processes at each individual dairy.

When the cheese-making time is over, the milled curd and whey are pumped into moulds for preliminary pressing and re-pressing with subsequent brine treatment and storage in the usual way.

Cheeses manufactured according to the process described hereinabove with the addition of particles were subjected to a quality evaluation and compared with cheeses manufactured without the addition of particles. The quality tests consisted of, inter alia, assessing the number of eyes, the size of the eyes and the evenness and distribution of said eyes in the cheese, as well as the texture, taste and appearance. The results of the tests show that cheese that is manufactured with the addition of milk component particles according to the invention, has more eyes and a greater evenness and distribution of the eyes as compared to cheese which has been manufactured without the addition of milk component particles. Taste, texture and appearance were good in cheeses produced in both ways.

Table 1 shows the results from the tests of cheese production with and without the addition of milk component particles.

Table 1

Month 1989 1990 1991

Table 1 shows results from cheese manufacture where the figures show how great a percentage of the produced cheeses in the quality evaluation was noted for uneven eye formation and/or too few eyes. The addition of natural milk component particles was started in March 1990. A marked improvement in quality can be seen from the table, ie, the percentage of the cheeses noted for uneven eye formation falls. In the following months further improvements in quality are registered.

The invention is not restricted to any particular kind of cheese, and can be used for all semi-soft and hard cheeses. Nor is the particle size restricted to the suggested range of sizes.

Claims

P A T E N T C L A I M S

1.

A process for producing cheese, characterized in that protein particles are added to the curds during the cheese-making.

2.

A process according to claim 1, characterized in that the protein particles which are added to the curds are natural milk component particles.

3.

A process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the particles which are added range from 0.6 to 2.5 mm in diameter, and preferably from 0.8 to 1.25 mm.

4.

A process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the particles are added during the last part of the cheese-making.

5.

A process according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the particles are added at the end of the cheese-making, preferably five minutes before the end.