Cheddar salting

The first soft processed cheese was patented in 1899. In 1916, Kraft was issued a patent for heating natural Cheddar cheese and emulsifying it with alkaline salts, which was the beginning of the processed cheese industry in the United States (Kosikowski 1978A). 

Many milk constituents affect the manufacturing and various characteristics of cheese, but milk fat and casein are of primary importance since they constitute most of the solids in cheese (e.g., 91% of the solids in Cheddar cheese). These two constituents, plus water, influence the yield of cheese from milk and the gross composition of cheese (Van Slyke and Price 1952). Formulas used to predict the cheese yield from milk include the concentration factors of casein and fat in milk, a minor correction factor for other milk constituents, and the added salt and moisture content of cheese (Van Slyke and Price 1952 Lelievre et al. 1983 Banks et al. 1984). 

After the curd and whey are physically separated and the optimum pH level is reached, the curd is salted. Salt improves the flavor of cheese, retards microbial metabolism, and helps expel moisture from the curd. Salt is either added directly to the curd (Cheddar, Colby) or the preformed block of cheese is placed in a brine solution (almost all other cheese types). 

Excessive or insufficient acid development during manufacture can produce variability in the moisture content of cheese and defects in flavor, body, texture, color, and finish (Van Slyke and Price 1952). The rate of lactose fermentation varies with the type of cheese, but the conversion to lactic acid is virtually complete during the first weeks of aging (Van Slyke and Price 1952 Turner and Thomas 1980). Very small amounts of lactose and galactose may be found in cheese months after manufacture. (Huffman and Kristoffersen 1984 Turner and Thomas 1980 Harvey et al. 1981 Thomas and Pearce 1981). Turner and Thomas (1980) showed that the fermentation of residual lactose in Cheddar cheese is affected by the storage temperature, the salt level in the cheese and the salt tolerance of the starter used. 

The cheddared cheese curd is milled into thin strips, salted, placed in cheese hoops, and pressed overnight to expel additional whey and fuse and curd strips together. The pressed cheese is then removed from the hoops and coated with wax or wrapped in a plastic film. 

Curd and whey are pumped from the cheese vat onto a continuous draining and matting conveyor system to allow the curd to mat and Cheddar. The matted curd is milled, salted, and drawn by vacuum onto... 

An early application for the propionates was that of dipping Cheddar cheese in an 8% propionic arid solution, This increased mold-free life by 4 to 5 times more than when no preservative was added. For pasteurized process cheese and cheese products, propionates can be added before or with emulsifying salts. Research has indicated that propionate-treated parchment wrappers provide protection for butter. 

Thomas. T.D., Pearce, K.N. 1981. Influence of salt on lactose fermentation and proteolysis in Cheddar cheese. N.Z. J. Dairy Sci. Technol. 16, 253-259. 

Recently, Lin et al. [184] used EDBM technology for acidification and decreasing the ionic strength of a fresh cheddar cheese whey. In this study, EDBM process was carried out with or without preliminary decrease of whey mineral salts content by conventional electrodialysis to obtain precipitates with high level of lipids (Figure 21.36). After centrifugation of the treated whey, composition of floes and precipitation yields was determined. 

The cheese from each mini-vat provided 7 to 8 lbs of sample, and after pressing each lot was split before barrier-packaging under vacuum so that two ripening temperature regimes could be evaluated (i.e., continuous 10°C, and 21°C for 21 days followed by continuous 10°C, through 4 months). The Cheddar cheeses were typical in average moisture (37.5%), salt (1.7%), fat (31.5%), and pH (5.10) levels even though they were manufactured on a miniature scale compared to commercial-scale batch operations. 

The enzyme may be added to the curd but this method can be practiced only with Cheddar-type cheeses, the curd for which are milled prior to moulding to facilitate uniform dispersion, the enzyme is usually diluted with salt but nonuniform distribution of enzyme may still occur, resulting in uneven ripening. 

Kelly, M. (1993). The effect of salt and moisture on proteolysis in Cheddar cheese. M.Sc. Thesis, National University of Ireland, Cork. 

O Connor, C. B. (1974). The quality and composition of Cheddar cheese Effect of various rates of salt addition. Ir. Agric. Creamery Rev. 27(1), 11-13. 

Reddy and Marth (1991) have reviewed the literature on the reduction of sodium in food products. Cheddar cheese made using a KCl/NaCl mixture in place of NaCl alone had a lower count of Staphylococcus aureus (Koenig and Marth, 1982). Low-sodium cheese with added glucono-y-lactone demonstrated resistance to C. botulinum toxin formation (Reddy and Marth, 1991). Salt blends have been used in cottage cheese, butter, buttermilk and ice cream (Reddy and Marth, 1991). 

V2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 cup chopped cooked vegetables V2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese V2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese... 

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