Patrick Oconnell
Cheese is a beloved food product enjoyed around the world, but what is it made of? The primary ingredient in cheese is milk, which can come from cows, goats, sheep, or buffalo. The process of making cheese involves transforming milk into a solid form through the addition of bacterial cultures, enzymes, moulds, and various technical processes. The specific methods and ingredients used can vary, resulting in the hundreds of cheese varieties available today.
What is Cheese Made Out Of?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Main Ingredient | Milk (Cow, Goat, Sheep, or Buffalo) |
| Other Ingredients | Salt, Spices, Herbs, Rennet, Bacterial Cultures |
| Process | Pasteurization, Curdling, Draining Whey, Adding Salt/Flavour, Shaping |
| Origin | Unknown, but earliest evidence found in Poland, 5500 BCE |
| Factory Production | Began in Switzerland, 1815 |
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What You'll Learn
Milk, the primary ingredient
The process of converting milk into cheese typically begins with pasteurization, which involves treating the milk with heat to eliminate harmful bacteria and prevent spoilage. Pasteurization also impacts the ripening process, as it destroys the natural enzymes in milk, resulting in slower and less extensive ripening compared to cheese made from raw or lightly heat-treated milk. During pasteurization, the milk may undergo standardization to adjust its fat-to-protein ratio, and ultrafiltration may be employed to improve cheese yield by concentrating the protein.
After pasteurization, the milk is inoculated with specific ingredients to initiate the curdling process. This includes the addition of fermenting microorganisms and rennet, which work together to promote coagulation and curdling. Rennet, a key ingredient in cheesemaking, is derived from the stomach of young ruminants and contains the enzymes chymosin and bovine pepsin. The natural rennet or its synthetic alternatives help transform the liquid milk into a solid coagulum, or curd, effectively extending the shelf life of milk.
The curdling process results in the separation of the milk into curds and whey. Cheesemakers then drain the whey, leaving behind solid chunks of curd that can vary in size depending on how finely the curd is cut. For harder cheeses, methods such as molding or pressing are used to further remove moisture from the curd. This step, known as cheddaring, involves stacking slabs of curd to apply pressure and force out excess moisture.
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Rennet, a key ingredient
Rennet is a key ingredient in cheesemaking. It is a combination of two enzymes: chymosin and bovine pepsin. Rennet is derived from the stomach of a calf or other young ruminants. The natural rennin in the lining of the animal's stomach causes milk to coagulate and separate into curds and whey. This process, known as curdling, is essential for transforming liquid milk into a solid coagulum or curd, which is the first step in cheese-making.
The use of rennet in cheesemaking dates back to ancient times. According to one legend, an Arabian merchant or nomadic shepherd travelling with milk in a pouch made from a sheep's or young animal's stomach discovered that the milk had curdled into a delicious solid upon arrival at his destination. The natural rennin in the pouch, along with heat from the sun, caused the milk to coagulate and separate into curds and whey. The curds, or solid parts of the coagulated milk, had a delightful flavour and satisfied the merchant's hunger.
Today, rennet is still used in cheesemaking to achieve this curdling effect. It is added to milk during the cheese-making process, promoting curdling and transforming the liquid milk into a solid mass. This solid mass, or curd, is then further processed to create cheese.
While rennet is a key ingredient in cheesemaking, it is important to note that not all cheeses are made with rennet. Some cheeses, such as cottage, cream, ricotta, and most mozzarella cheeses, are made without rennet and are ready for sale as soon as they are made. Additionally, some forms of vegetarianism allow for the consumption of dairy products but not animal products derived from slaughter. As rennet comes from the stomach of a calf, cheeses made with rennet may not be suitable for strict vegetarian diets. However, over 80% of cheese consumed in North America is made from non-animal sources of chymosin, and some cheeses use microbial rennet, which is suitable for dairy-eating vegetarians.
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Salt, for flavour and preservation
Salt is added to cheese to enhance its flavour and prevent spoilage. After the curds and whey are separated, the cheesemaker drains the whey, leaving only the solid curds. The curds are then salted to add flavour and extend the cheese's shelf life. Cheesemakers may mix salt into the curd pieces or submerge them in a brine solution, as is done with mozzarella. Salt draws moisture from the curd, firms the cheese's texture, and interacts with its proteins.
Salt also preserves cheese from spoiling. Some cheeses are salted from the outside with dry salt or brine washes, while most cheeses have the salt mixed directly into the curds. Salt's preservative quality is due to its ability to draw out moisture, thereby reducing the water content available for microorganisms to grow. This drying effect is also why salt is often used to cure meats.
In addition to salt, spices and herbs such as horseradish, garlic, paprika, habanero, cloves, dill, basil, chives, or rosemary can be added to develop the cheese's flavour. However, the focus is usually on enhancing the cheese's natural flavours.
The process of cheesemaking has been around for thousands of years, with the earliest evidence of its existence dating back to 5500 BCE in what is now Kuyavia, Poland. The origins of cheesemaking are still debated, but one popular theory suggests that it was discovered accidentally by storing milk in a container made from the stomach of an animal, which caused the milk to curdle and separate into curds and whey.
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Curds and whey, the result of milk coagulation
Cheese is made from milk, most commonly cow's milk, but also goat's, sheep's, and buffalo's milk. It takes about 10 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of cheese.
Cheese is the result of milk coagulation, or curdling, a process by which milk is transformed into a solid coagulum or curd. Milk is made up of fat, protein, sugar, and minerals suspended in water. Cheesemakers use different methods to trigger a chemical reaction that causes coagulation, transforming liquid milk into a solid. One of the key ingredients in cheesemaking is rennet, which is derived from the stomach of a young animal. The natural rennin in the lining of the animal's stomach, along with heat from the sun, causes milk to coagulate and separate into curds and whey. The curds are then cut into sections, and the whey is drained off. The curds are salted to add flavour and extend their shelf life, and the cheese is then shaped.
The process of cheese making was likely discovered accidentally by storing milk in a container made from the stomach of an animal. The earliest proposed dates for the origin of cheesemaking range from around 8000 BCE, when sheep were first domesticated. The earliest archaeological evidence of cheesemaking dates back to 5500 BCE and was found in what is now Kuyavia, Poland, where strainers coated with milk-fat molecules have been discovered.
There are around 2,000 types of cheese, each made slightly differently. Most cheese is made in factories, and the milk is usually first pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. A starter culture is then added to the milk to help it break down through fermentation. The milk is then mixed with rennet, which promotes curdling. Different techniques are then used to influence the cheese's texture and flavour, such as stretching and kneading the curd in hot water to create a stringy, fibrous body, as in mozzarella and provolone.
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Bacterial cultures, for fermentation
Bacterial cultures are essential for fermentation, a critical step in the cheese-making process. This step involves adding specific bacteria to milk to initiate controlled decomposition, transforming the milk into cheese. The bacteria work by breaking down the milk, a process known as fermentation.
The type of bacteria chosen for this process is crucial, as different bacteria have distinct effects on the final product. For example, some bacteria are selected for their ability to survive at high temperatures, such as Lactobacilli or Streptococci, which are used in harder cheeses. These thermophilic starter bacteria can withstand temperatures ranging from 35°C to 55°C (95°F to 131°F).
Before the advent of modern factory-made cheese, bacteria in cheesemaking were often sourced from the environment or recycled from earlier batches of whey. This resulted in variations in the final product, as the bacterial cultures were not standardized. However, with the development of pure microbial cultures, cheesemakers could produce more consistent and standardized cheese.
The process of fermentation itself is quite remarkable. The bacteria anaerobically convert lactose, a sugar found in milk, into lactic acid. This conversion not only contributes to the distinct flavour of cheese but also aids in the curdling process, as it lowers the pH of the milk. This decrease in pH causes the milk proteins to become more soluble, leading to their aggregation and eventual separation into curds and whey.
The curds and whey are then separated, with the whey being drained off. This step can be done naturally or accelerated by using a mould or press, particularly for harder cheeses that require lower moisture content. The removal of whey is essential, as it forces out moisture, helping to form the characteristic solid structure of cheese.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese is a type of dairy product made from milk, usually from cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep.
Milk is usually acidified and either the enzymes of rennet or bacterial enzymes are added to cause the milk to coagulate. Salt is also added to extend shelf life and add flavour.
It takes about 10 pounds of whole milk to make one pound of cheese.
Rennet is a key ingredient in cheesemaking. It is produced by the stomach of a young animal and helps to turn milk into curds.
The first step is to pasteurize the milk, which involves treating it with heat to kill harmful bacteria. Then, a starter culture is added to the milk to help it break down. Next, the milk is separated into solid curds and liquid whey. The whey is drained, leaving only the solid chunks of curd. Finally, salt is added to the cheese for flavour and to extend its shelf life.
