Frederic Melton
Cheese is a beloved food product worldwide, with Americans consuming an average of 40 pounds of cheese per person per year. The process of making cheese is fascinating and involves several steps. It all begins with milk, which can come from various animals, including cows, goats, sheep, and even camels. This milk is then tested, filtered, and standardised to ensure consistent cheese production. The addition of starter cultures containing bacteria initiates the transformation of milk into cheese, with specific cultures yielding different flavours and textures. Curds and whey are formed, and the curds are cut, stirred, and heated to release moisture. Salt is added for flavour and preservation, and the cheese is pressed into shape. Finally, the cheese is aged, contributing to its unique characteristics.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Milk, cultures, coagulants, salt, spices, herbs, wine |
| Milk Source | Cow, sheep, goat, buffalo, camel, horse, yak, moose |
| Milk Standardization | Addition of fat, cream, or protein |
| Pasteurization | Kills dangerous bacteria |
| Starter Cultures | Rennet, bacteria |
| Curdling | Separation of curds and whey |
| Texture | Depends on the amount of cutting and moisture |
| Shaping | Pressing into blocks or hoops |
| Aging | Changes flavour and texture |
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What You'll Learn
Milk quality and collection
Milk is the star ingredient in cheese. While cow's milk is the most common type used in cheesemaking, other types of milk, such as sheep's, goat's, buffalo's, and camel's milk, can also be used. The choice of milk source influences the flavour and texture of the cheese. For example, sheep's milk is high in lactose, resulting in cheeses with distinct flavours, such as Roquefort, feta, petit basque, and manchego. Goat's milk lends a tangy flavour to cheeses like Le Chevrot and French Bucheron.
Once the milk is collected, it is transported to a cheese plant for processing. Before the milk is converted into cheese, cheesemakers perform quality and purity tests on the milk to ensure it meets the required standards. Samples are taken to confirm that the milk is safe and suitable for cheesemaking. This step is crucial to guarantee the consistency and safety of the final product.
After the milk passes the initial tests, it undergoes filtration to remove any impurities. Then, the milk is standardised by adjusting its fat, cream, or protein content. Standardisation is essential to ensure that different batches of milk used in cheesemaking start with the same base composition. This step helps achieve consistency in the final cheese product, ensuring that each batch has the desired flavour, texture, and quality.
The milk is then pasteurised to eliminate any harmful bacteria that may be present in raw milk. Pasteurisation is a critical step in the process to ensure the safety of the cheese and prevent the growth of undesirable microorganisms. After pasteurisation, beneficial bacteria, known as "starter cultures," are added to the milk. These cultures initiate the fermentation process by converting lactose, the natural sugar in milk, into lactic acid. Different types of starter cultures are selected depending on the specific type of cheese being produced.
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Pasteurization and bacteria
Milk is a very good growth medium for many different microbes. If steps aren't taken to ensure consistent high-quality milk throughout the cheese-making process, undesirable microorganisms (like pathogens) could grow and proliferate. These include harmful bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Coxiella burnetii.
Pasteurization is a process that involves heating milk to around 65°C (149°F) or 160°F to kill off any pathogenic bacteria that could be potentially harmful. This process is considered more efficient on a large scale, as there is less care necessary in the milk collection stage where bacteria from the cows run rampant. Pasteurizing the milk also extends the shelf life of dairy products.
However, the pasteurization process can also kill desirable flavour-generating microbes and enzymes. Some cheese enthusiasts argue that raw milk cheese possesses exceptional, complex flavour profiles that can't be replicated in pasteurized cheese. Raw milk cheese advocates also argue that it has been made safely for centuries, and that possible negative health effects are very uncommon. In Europe, raw milk cheese has been consumed for centuries.
On the other hand, pasteurized cheese supporters highlight the perceived dangers of selling unpasteurized cheese on a mass market scale. Recent bacterial outbreaks from consuming cheese made from unpasteurized milk have raised questions about the safety of eating these artisanal products. Both sides of the argument have valid points that need to be carefully considered.
To balance the benefits of pasteurization and the preservation of flavour, some cheese makers use a process called thermalization. In this process, the milk is heated, but not as hot or for as long as in other pasteurization methods. Legally, this milk is still considered raw. This process is a good compromise between the effects of pasteurized and unpasteurized milk, as it kills off dangerous bacteria while preserving more of the complex flavours.
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Curdling and coagulation
Coagulation can occur in several ways: enzyme action, acid addition, or a combination of acid and heat. Enzymes such as rennet, a preparation usually obtained from the fourth stomach of calves, are added to milk to make it clot. Rennet contains the protease enzyme chymosin, which cuts the negatively charged ends on the micelles' surfaces. This causes the micelles to lose their polarity and begin sticking together, forming chains that extend in all directions and interlock into a three-dimensional matrix, trapping milk-fat molecules. The aggregation occurs when about 80-90% of the κ-casein hairs are clipped off. The more acidic the milk, the faster the coagulation, and the firmer the curd.
Acid coagulation, also known as acid-set or lactic curd, involves using acid to coagulate milk. This acid can be added directly, such as in the case of vinegar for paneer and queso fresco, or produced by starter cultures, as seen in cottage cheese, quark, and chèvre. The addition of acid neutralises the negative charge surrounding the casein micelles, allowing them to stick together and form the structure of the cheese.
Temperature also plays a role in curdling and coagulation. Some hard cheeses are heated to temperatures between 35-55°C (95-131°F) to force more whey out of the cut curd and change the taste by affecting the bacterial culture and milk chemistry. The type of bacteria used depends on the temperature, with thermophilic starter bacteria like Lactobacilli or Streptococci surviving higher temperatures.
The curd's structure depends on the coagulation type. Lactic fermentation results in a weakly structured curd, while enzymatic coagulation produces a strongly structured curd. The draining process to remove whey is also influenced by the coagulation type, with enzymatic coagulation requiring physical actions like cutting, stirring, or pressing to remove more whey.
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Salting and shaping
Salting is an important step in the cheesemaking process. Salt is added to most cheeses to enhance their flavour and regulate moisture content, which affects their texture. Salt also serves as a preservative and helps control bacteria growth. The type of salt used matters—cheesemakers typically use non-iodized salt or cheese salt. The lack of iodine is important, as iodine can affect the cheese's flavour and texture.
For Cheddar and Colby cheeses, the curd is salted and then pressed into a form. The curd is pressed into a hoop, which is brined, in the case of mozzarella and Swiss cheeses. While the cheese is pressed, more whey comes out, so it eventually becomes the shape and consistency of the cheeses we know.
Salt is added after the curds have been separated from the whey. If it is a flavoured cheese, ingredients like garlic or peppers are added at this point. The cheese is then pressed into blocks. In larger factories, the curds are pulled into tall towers, creating pressure that forms the curds into solid blocks. Smaller cheesemakers use a cheese press.
Once the cheese is shaped, it may be aged for a while before it's ready to eat. Cheddar, for example, can be aged for years, giving it a stronger flavour. Aging also changes the texture of a cheese like cheddar, which can get more crumbly as it gets older.
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Ripening and ageing
The enzymatic process is the most crucial process for all cheeses, although bacteria play a role in many varieties. The most important agents in this process include glycolysis, proteolysis, and lipolysis. By taking the cheese through a series of maturation stages where temperature and relative humidity are carefully controlled, the cheesemaker allows the surface mould to grow and the mould ripening of the cheese by fungi to occur. The majority of cheese is ripened, except for fresh cheese. Cheese ripening was not always the highly industrialised process it is today; in the past, cellars and caves were used to ripen cheeses instead of the current highly regulated process involving machinery and biochemistry. Some cheeses are still made using more historical methods, such as the blue cheese Roquefort, which is required to be ripened in designated caves in south-western France.
Mould-ripened cheeses ripen faster than hard cheeses, in weeks as opposed to the typical months or even years. This is because the fungi used are more biochemically active than the starter bacteria. Where the ripening occurs is largely dependent on the type of cheese: some cheeses are surface ripened by moulds, such as Camembert and Brie; and some are ripened internally, such as Stilton. Surface ripening of some cheeses, such as Saint-Nectaire cheese, may also be influenced by yeasts which contribute flavour and coat texture. Others are allowed by the cheesemaker to develop bacterial surface growths that give them their characteristic colours and appearances.
The ageing process plays a role in changing the flavour and texture of cheese, resulting in thousands of cheese varieties. Each type of cheese requires a different ageing period, ranging from 3 months all the way up to 12 months for certain types of cheese. The longer it ages, the more intense the flavour. The type of cheeses that require some ageing are the firm or crumbly cheeses like cheddar, gouda, camembert, and parmesan. These lend themselves well to the ageing process due to the intensity of their flavour and aroma. Similar to fine wine, cheese gets better with age. In order to develop its mature and rich flavours, some cheese requires a longer ageing period than others. Softer cheeses like muenster or mild cheddar take a shorter amount of time to age; whereas semi-hard and hard cheeses like sharp cheddar, Swiss, or parmesan require a longer period of time to yield their desired texture, flavour, and aroma. Fresh cheeses are not aged and typically have a mild, soft, and/or creamy flavour.
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Frequently asked questions
The primary ingredient in cheese is milk, usually from cows, but also from sheep, goats, buffalo, camels, or other mammals. Other ingredients include cultures, coagulants, and salt. Spices, herbs, and even wine are sometimes added for flavour.
Milk is first acidified (or soured) and then a coagulant, usually rennet, is added. Rennet is an enzyme complex that causes milk to gel and separate into solid curds and liquid whey. The curds are then cut, stirred, and heated to release more whey. Salt is added to enhance flavour and regulate moisture, and the curds are then pressed into shape. Finally, the cheese is aged.
Different types of cheese are made using different types of milk, cultures, and additional ingredients. The aging process also plays a role in determining the flavour and texture of cheese.
The colour of cheese depends on the type of milk and culture used, as well as any added ingredients. For example, cheddar cheese is orange due to the addition of colour.
