Andy Montoya
Pasteurization is the process of heating raw milk to a high enough temperature to kill potentially harmful bacteria. While most cheese manufactured and sold in the US is pasteurized, unpasteurized cheese can be purchased directly from local dairies or farms. Cheddar cheese, in particular, can be made with raw milk, and some people believe that European cheeses made with raw milk taste superior. However, eating unpasteurized cheese may increase the risk of foodborne illness, especially for infants, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
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What You'll Learn
Pasteurized cheddar is safe for pregnant women and babies
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that cheddar cheese made with unpasteurized milk must be aged for at least 60 days before being sold. This aging process reduces the water content, making it difficult for harmful bacteria, such as listeria, to grow. However, to ensure the highest safety, it is recommended to consume cheddar cheese made with pasteurized milk during pregnancy.
Most commercially available cheddar cheeses are made with pasteurized milk. Brands like Tillamook and Cello, for example, use pasteurized milk in their cheddar cheese products. While the FDA has banned the interstate sale of raw milk, unpasteurized dairy products can still be sold within certain states. Therefore, it is always a good practice to check the product label or ask the server to confirm whether the cheddar cheese has been pasteurized.
It is worth noting that the aging process also affects the flavor and texture of cheddar cheese. "Mild" cheddar is typically aged for 2-3 months, resulting in a younger and softer cheese. On the other hand, "aged" or "sharp" cheddar is aged for more than a year or even several years, resulting in a firmer and more flavorful cheese.
In summary, pasteurized cheddar cheese is a safe option for pregnant women and babies. The pasteurization process eliminates harmful bacteria, and the aging process further reduces the risk of bacterial growth. By checking the product labels and consulting with healthcare professionals, pregnant women can confidently enjoy cheddar cheese as part of a nutritious and safe diet during pregnancy.
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Unpasteurized cheddar can be sold in the US
Pasteurization is the process by which raw milk is heated to a high enough temperature to kill potentially disease-causing bacteria. Cheddar, America's most commonly eaten cheese, can be made with raw milk, but it can also be made with pasteurized milk.
Unpasteurized cheese is made and sold in the US. In 1987, the FDA banned the interstate sale of raw milk, but unpasteurized dairy products can be sold within certain states. Raw milk and cheese must be marketed and labeled as such and aged for at least 60 days. This is because dangerous bacteria, like listeria, cannot survive past this period, so it is believed that the lengthened aging process removes the dangers of eating unpasteurized cheese.
Despite the potential dangers, some people prefer the taste of unpasteurized cheese. Some argue that unpasteurized cheese possesses exceptional, complex flavor profiles that cannot be replicated in pasteurized cheese. However, eating unpasteurized cheese can cause illness, with side effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, and flu-like symptoms.
Unpasteurized cheese can be especially unsafe when consumed by infants and young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised. In fact, in 2024, the CDC reported a small E. coli outbreak linked to eating unpasteurized cheddar cheese from RAW FARM, a California-based dairy company. Five people were hospitalized, and the CDC and FDA recommended that people not eat, sell, or serve RAW FARM brand raw cheddar cheese while the investigation was ongoing.
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Pasteurization is done to kill harmful bacteria
Pasteurization is a process that involves heating raw milk to a high temperature to kill potentially harmful bacteria. While not all bacteria are bad, some can cause disease and foodborne illnesses. Pasteurization is done to destroy these harmful bacteria and make the milk safe for consumption, especially for those who are more vulnerable, such as infants, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised.
The process of pasteurization was discovered by Louis Pasteur, who determined the precise time and temperature required to eliminate harmful microorganisms without altering the taste of the milk. This method was initially used for wine, beer, and vinegar, and later extended to milk in the late 1800s to combat the spread of tuberculosis through milk consumption.
To achieve effective pasteurization, specific time and temperature guidelines must be followed. For example, the Low-Temperature, Long-Time (LTLT) process, also known as batch pasteurization, heats milk to 63 degrees Celsius (145.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes. This temperature and duration combination ensures the destruction of most heat-sensitive pathogens, including Gram-negative organisms, while retaining the expected qualities of milk, such as its creamy texture, fresh flavor, and milky-white color.
However, it is important to note that pasteurization does not kill all bacteria in milk. Some thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria, such as micrococci and Streptococcus spp., may survive the process but grow very slowly once the pasteurized milk is chilled to 4 degrees Celsius. Additionally, post-pasteurization contamination can occur through various routes, such as airborne microorganisms landing on milk contact surfaces or the survival of thermophilic microorganisms on plate heat exchangers.
Overall, pasteurization plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of dairy products by significantly reducing the presence of harmful bacteria and lowering the risk of foodborne illnesses.
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Cheddar can be made with raw milk
The process of pasteurization involves heating raw milk to a high temperature to kill potentially harmful bacteria. This process is often used in cheese-making to maintain flavour while still achieving pasteurization. While some believe that the process of pasteurization reduces the possibility of foodborne illness, others argue that it is unnecessary, as the negative health effects of raw milk are very uncommon. In fact, some people believe that European cheese made with raw milk tastes superior to cheese made with pasteurized milk.
In the United States, the FDA banned the interstate sale of raw milk in 1987, but unpasteurized dairy products can still be sold within certain states. As a result, unpasteurized cheese can be found in the US, but it is typically only sold at local farms or farmers' markets. While some believe that the risks of consuming unpasteurized cheese are overstated, it is important to note that the CDC and other US agencies warn that raw milk can be dangerous for infants, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
When introducing cheddar cheese to babies, it is recommended to start with pasteurized cheese to minimize the risk of foodborne illness. Cheddar cheese can be a good source of protein, fat, calcium, selenium, zinc, and vitamins A and B12 for babies, but it is important to prepare and serve it in an age-appropriate way to reduce the risk of choking.
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Pasteurized and unpasteurized cheddar have differing textures and flavours
Pasteurization is the process by which raw milk is heated to a high enough temperature to kill potentially disease-causing bacteria. While pasteurization kills harmful bacteria, it also kills the good bacteria that give raw milk cheeses their unique, complex flavours. The process of pasteurization also affects the texture of the cheese.
In the cheesemaking process, there are a couple of heat treatments available to accomplish pasteurization while still maintaining flavour. For instance, to make unpasteurized cheese, the milk is heated to about 30° C (86° F), which is just enough heat to allow the milk to start fermenting and become cheese. The bacterial compounds of the cheese are not destroyed, resulting in a much more flavourful, powerful cheese. This slow heating is enough to kill off potentially dangerous bacteria while still leaving most of the complex flavours that would have been destroyed at 65° C.
It is important to note that unpasteurized cheese is considered unsafe for infants, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals. In the United States, the FDA banned interstate sales of raw milk in 1987, but unpasteurized dairy products can be sold within certain states as long as they are labelled as such and aged for at least 60 days.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheddar cheese can be pasteurized or unpasteurized. Pasteurization is the process by which raw milk is heated to a high enough temperature to kill potentially disease-causing bacteria. Most of the cheese manufactured and sold in the US is pasteurized, and all imported cheese is pasteurized. Unpasteurized cheese is usually only available directly from local dairies/farms or at farmers' markets or local farm stands.
To determine if your cheese is pasteurized, you can read the label or ask your server at a restaurant.
There are many factors that go into the decision of whether to pasteurize cheese or not, including history, tradition, food safety, laws, technique, logistics, and flavor. Proponents of unpasteurized cheese argue that it has been made safely for centuries and that negative health effects are uncommon, while supporters of pasteurized cheese highlight the dangers of selling unpasteurized cheese on a mass market scale.
According to the FDA, CDC, and other US agencies, raw milk is especially unsafe when consumed by infants and young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised. Eating unpasteurized cheese may increase the risk of foodborne illness. However, some people rave that European cheese made with raw milk tastes superior to cheese made with pasteurized milk.
