Ripening of Cheese

Since the ripening of cheese, especially low moisture varieties, is a slow... 

The chemistry of cheesemaking can be divided into several phases the characteristics of milk, the cheesemaking process, and the ripening of cheese. The types of cheeses differ in specific aspects of the three phases, but there are substantial similarities. General principles will be emphasized in this chapter, with references to unique aspects of important types. The reader is referred to the previous volume of Fundamentals of Dairy Chemistry for early research reports (Emstrom and Wong 1974). The details of the technical procedures for the manufacture of different cheeses are beyond the scope of this book. Selected references on the manufacture of a variety of cheeses include Van Slyke... 

The use of homogenized milk for cheesemaking has been reviewed by Peters (1964). The advantages of homogenized milk in the manufacture and ripening of cheese are (1) lower fat losses in whey and therefore a higher yield, (2) reduced fat leakage of cheese at room temperatures, and (3) increased rate of fat hydrolysis and, therefore, desired flavor production in blue cheese. 

Buffa, M.N., Trujillo, A.J., Pavia, M., and Guamis, B. 2001. Changes in textural, microstructural, and colour characteristics during ripening of cheeses made from raw, pasteurized or high-pressure-treated goats milk. Int. Dairy J. 11, 927-934. 

Liposomes have been used for years as components of drug delivery systems, and as transdermal carriers of active ingredients in the cosmetic industry (307, 308). More recently, liposomes have found use in the food and nutritional supplement industries. Keller (308) lists more than a dozen nutritional products on the market that have been formulated with novel liposome-based delivery systems. In the food area, hposomes have been studied for their ability to encapsulate and provide controlled release of enzymes (309, 310), and liposome-encapsulated enzymes have been used to accelerate the ripening of cheese (311). 

Milk lipases may give undesirable rancidity when fresh milk is used for cheese making. The heat sensitivity of these lipases restricts them playing a major role in ripening of cheese made from pasteurized milk. Lipases play a very important role in flavour formation especially in mould cheeses such as Roquefort and Gorgonzola. 

Alternatives to using ruminant foods to provide CLA in the diet are of great interest to the food-processing industry, perhaps most so in dairy processing. Sieber et al (2004) reviewed the impact of microbial cultures on CLA in dairy products. Several strains of Lactobacillus, Propionibacterium, Bifidobacterium, and Enterococcus are able to form CLA from linoleic acid lactic acid bacteria and propionibacteria appear to show promise to increase CLA during ripening of cheese. Presently, data are not convincing that this... 

High-pressure-induced biochemical aspects such as glycolysis, lipolysis, and proteolysis during ripening of cheese have been studied by a number of researchers. Yokohama et al. (1992) showed that high-pressure treatment resulted in considerable reduction in the ripening time due to proteolysis of milk protein, which resulted in an increase in free amino acids content and improvement in taste. The increased free amino acids content, from 21.3 to 26.5 mg/g, in cheese treated at 50 MPa for 3 days was comparable to 6-month old control cheese. 

The changes which go on during the ripening of cheese are not simple, and several different theories have been advanced as explanations. 

As discussed in Section IV, the ripening of cheese, and hence its quality, is due to the activity of microorganisms and enzymes from four or five sources. Therefore, it might reasonably be expected that it should be possible to produce premium quality cheese consistently by controlling these agents however, in spite of considerable research and quality control efforts, it is not yet possible to do so. 

Thus, there is undoubtedly a commercial economic incentive to develop techniques to accelerate the ripening of cheese. However, in spite of a considerable amount of published research, and presumably unpublished work, the number of viable options appears to be rather limited—at present the best method appears to be a hi er ripening temperature. 

Study of chemistry and biochemistry of cheese is at an exciting stage. It seems reasonable to predict that it will be possible in the not too distant future to describe completely the production and ripening of cheese at the molecular level. 

Pahkala, E., Pihlanto—Leppfila, A., Leukkanen, M., and Antila, V. (1989). Decomposition of milk proteins during the ripening of cheese. 1. Enzymatic hydrolysis of Oj-casein. Meijeritiet. Aikak. 47, 39-47. 

The health risks to human consumers of tissue residues of AMDs exceeding MRLs, or residues of AMDs for which no MRL has been determined, include direct toxicity to cells of the host, immunotoxicity (allergenicity), and the emergence of resistance in human GIT microflora and its subsequent spread. In addition, there is a requirement to achieve low concentrations of AMDs in milk to ensure noninterference with the manufacture of milk-derived products cheese, butter, and yogurt. Concentrations of antimicrobials as low as 1 ftg/kg can delay starter activity for these dairy products. Moreover, AMDs may decrease acidity and retard flavor production in butter manufacture, as well as inhibit the ripening of cheeses. 

As to the ripening of cheeses, the curd being made up of casein and a greater or less quantity of adhering cream and whey, let us first of all examine the influence of this latter component, whose r61e is of first order. Under the action of the... 

However, these discoveries do not at all affect the question as to the chemistry of the pharmaceutical lactic ferment. The true Bulgarian ferment, as we have seen, possesses proteols c properties whose manifestation requires certain conditions. Planted in the intestine, it exerts there its influence in the same manner as the lactic ferment influences the ripening of cheese, and this activity is also accentuated with time, the ferment acquiring a sort of enthusiasm for this new work. It must he noted, however, that in most of the tests made in hospitals, Lactobadllin has been used in lozenges, in powder, or even in milk which has been made to ferment by the aid of these substances, so that the universal reputation of Lactobadllin is due solely to the pseudolactic ferment which it contains. 

Fontecha, J., Mayo, I., Toledano, G., and Juarez, M. Use of changes in triacylglycerols during ripening of cheeses with high lipolysis levels for detection of milk fat authenticity. International Dairy Journal, 16(12), 1498-1504. 2006. 

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