Randy Chandler
Cheese is a beloved food worldwide, with Americans consuming an average of 40 pounds per person per year, and the French, Icelanders, Finns, Danes, and Germans averaging 55 pounds per person per year. But what is cheese made from? The simple answer is milk, most commonly from cows, sheep, or goats. However, cheese can also be made from more obscure types of milk, such as camel, horse, or even yak milk. The process of cheesemaking involves separating the milk into solid curds and liquid whey, adding bacteria and rennet to facilitate curdling, and then aging the cheese. The specific steps and ingredients used can vary depending on the type of cheese being made, resulting in the wide variety of cheeses enjoyed today.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common types | Cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk |
| Flavor | Cow's milk: grassy, sweet cream, butterscotch, mushroom, nuts. Goat's milk: limestone-y and citrusy or musky and barnyardy, spicy, tangy |
| Texture | Cow's milk: creamy and smooth. Goat's milk: drier and crumblier |
| Lactose content | Goat's milk: lower lactose content than cow's milk |
| Fat content | Cow's milk: lower fat content than goat's milk. Goat's milk: lowest natural fat content among animal milk used for cheesemaking |
| Color | Cow's milk: tends to be tinted yellow. Goat's milk: remains white due to lack of beta carotene |
| Price | Cow's milk: cheaper. Goat's milk: more expensive |
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What You'll Learn
Milk from cows, goats, and sheep is used to make cheese
Cow's milk cheese, for example, often highlights the flavour of the grass grazed on by the animals and is described as having a "grassy" or "pasture-like" taste. It also offers tasting notes of sweet cream, butterscotch, mushroom, and nuts, depending on the style of cheese. Cow's milk is also lower in fat content compared to milk from other sources, making cow's milk cheeses a suitable introduction to the world of cheese for children. Popular varieties of cow's milk cheese include international favourites such as Cheddar, Provolone, Gouda, and Brie, as well as Spanish cheeses like Tetilla and Mahón-Menorca.
Goat's milk cheese, on the other hand, is known for its strong, spicy flavour and unique aroma, which can vary depending on the curing process. Goat's milk contains less lactose, casein, and fatty particles, making it easier to digest than cow's milk for some people. Goat's milk cheeses are often white in colour, even when aged, due to the lower levels of beta carotene present in the milk. They can range from young and fresh to aged and fruity, with common tasting notes of limestone and citrus or musky and barnyardy flavours. Notable goat's milk cheeses include Majorero from Spain, France's Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, and Ktaftka, a blue cheese from Norway.
Sheep's milk cheese stands out for its high nutritional content, boasting elevated levels of vitamins A, B, and E, as well as calcium when compared to cow's milk. These cheeses typically have a semi-soft texture and are known for being slightly oily. Examples of sheep's milk cheese include Manchego, Idiazábal, Torta del Casar, Italian Pecorino, and the salty and sour Greek favourite, Feta.
While these three types of milk are the most common for cheesemaking, it's worth noting that milk from other animals, such as camels and water buffalo, is also used in certain regions to create unique and diverse cheeses.
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Rennet, an enzyme, is added to bring milk proteins together
The process of turning milk into cheese involves adding rennet, an enzyme that brings milk proteins together. This is a crucial step in cheesemaking, and it applies to all types of milk used for this purpose, including cow, goat, and sheep milk.
Cheese is made by separating milk into solid curds and liquid whey. Rennet, a complex mixture of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach, plays a vital role in this process. It is added to milk to make it coagulate, causing it to thicken and eventually form curds.
The addition of rennet to milk triggers a chemical reaction that transforms its structure. Rennet contains proteolytic enzymes, specifically rennin, which break down the milk proteins into smaller peptides. These enzymes act on casein, the primary protein in milk, causing it to aggregate and form a solid mass. This solid mass is the beginning of the curd formation process.
The action of rennet on milk proteins is highly specific and efficient. It cuts the casein molecules at a particular location, exposing specific amino acid sequences. These exposed sequences then attract and bind to each other, bringing the milk proteins together and initiating the curdling process.
The use of rennet in cheesemaking has a long history, dating back to ancient times when animal stomachs were used as a source of rennet. Today, most rennet is produced commercially through microbial fermentation, providing a consistent and reliable supply for the cheese industry.
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Salt is added for flavour and preservation
Cheese is made from the milk of various animals, including cows, goats, and sheep. The type of milk used depends on the region and the desired flavour and texture of the cheese. For example, in Cantabria, Spain, most cheeses are made with cow's milk, while in the Basque Country and Navarra, Lacha sheep are the primary source of milk for cheese-making.
Regarding the role of salt in cheese, it serves three major functions: preservation, flavour enhancement, and providing dietary sodium. Salt acts as a preservative by minimising spoilage and preventing the growth of pathogens. It also directly contributes to the flavour of the cheese, influencing its aroma, texture, and overall quality. The level of salt in cheese can range from approximately 0.7% in Swiss-type cheeses to about 6% in Domiati cheese.
The addition of salt is a critical step in the cheesemaking process, as it helps control the development of bitter flavours. Higher concentrations of salt, such as 5% NaCl or more, can inhibit β-casein proteolysis, resulting in a less bitter-tasting cheese. Salt also affects the water-holding capacity of the protein matrix and the tendency towards syneresis or moisture loss.
Furthermore, salt plays a significant role in the overall composition of cheese, influencing microbial growth, enzymatic activities, and biochemical changes that occur during ripening. These changes include glycolysis, proteolysis, lipolysis, and para-casein hydration. The precise control of salt uptake and distribution in cheese is essential to ensure consistent quality and optimal sensory attributes.
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Bacteria is added to start the transformation from milk to cheese
The process of making cheese involves transforming milk into a food with a much longer shelf life. This process involves removing water from the milk, breaking down milk proteins and fats, adding salt, and an optional ripening period. The type of milk used to make cheese can come from various animals, including cows, goats, and sheep, and even camels and water buffalo. The basic principles of cheese-making remain unchanged, but modern cheese production uses scientific knowledge to create consistent, high-quality products.
To start the transformation from milk to cheese, bacteria are added to the milk. This addition of bacteria is a crucial step in the cheese-making process, as it initiates the fermentation process, which is essential for developing the desired sensory characteristics and nutritional value of the final cheese product. The bacteria used in this process are known as lactic acid bacteria (LAB). LAB play a vital role in traditional cheese-making, either as starter cultures or as part of the natural microbiota of milk.
In traditional cheese-making, cheese makers relied on naturally occurring LAB in milk. However, modern cheese makers often inoculate milk with industrial starter cultures, which are specifically chosen for their ability to produce reliable and consistent acid production. These starter cultures contain defined groups of bacteria that work together to transform milk into cheese. The milk is warmed to the optimal growth temperature for the microbes in the starter culture, typically between 20 and 45°C for mesophilic bacteria and between 45 and 122°C for thermophilic bacteria.
The bacteria in the starter culture digest the sugars in the milk, producing lactic acid through fermentation. This additional lactic acid lowers the pH of the milk, creating an environment that hinders the growth of harmful organisms. The acid also plays a crucial role in forming curds, contributing to the syneresis of the curd and the removal of water from the milk proteins. As the bacteria replicate and culture the milk, the milk coagulates, changing from a liquid into a firm, rubbery substance called curd. This coagulation is made possible by the presence of casein proteins in milk, which make up 80% of the protein content.
The specific type of bacteria used in the starter culture influences the characteristics of the final cheese product. For example, mesophilic bacteria are used to make mellow cheeses such as cheddar, gouda, and Colby, while thermophilic bacteria are used to create sharper cheeses like Gruyère, Parmesan, and Romano. The LAB also contribute to the maturation of the cheese, influencing its texture, flavour, and aroma. The formation of primary metabolites, such as lactic and acetic acids, by the LAB also has a preservative effect, further extending the shelf life of the cheese.
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Aging changes the texture and flavour of cheese
The ageing process transforms the texture and flavour of cheese, enhancing and intensifying its characteristics. This process involves nurturing the cheese in a controlled environment over time, carefully managing factors like temperature, humidity, and time. The length of the ageing process varies depending on the desired strength and flavour, ranging from a minimum of 60 days to several years.
During the ageing process, cheese loses moisture, resulting in a drier texture and the development of a sharper taste. This loss of moisture also contributes to the increased saltiness and dryness of the cheese, making it crumbly. The once-smooth cheese takes on a more mature and complex character, with a distinctive "bite" sought after by cheese connoisseurs.
The ageing process also affects the flavour of the cheese, with older cheeses developing a sharper, nuttier, and more complex taste. The longer the cheese is aged, the sharper and more robust the flavour becomes. This sharpness is a result of increased levels of salt and acids that occur naturally during the ageing process. Enzymatic activity plays a crucial role during this phase, breaking down fats and proteins in the cheese, leading to the formation of new flavours and textures.
The type of milk used (cow, goat, sheep, or buffalo) and the specific strains of bacteria and enzymes introduced during the cheesemaking process also influence the final texture and flavour of the cheese. For example, aged cheddar, made from cow's milk, typically develops a sharper, nuttier flavour and a crumbly, sometimes crystallized texture. On the other hand, softer cheeses like Brie tend to have more lactose and a creamier texture due to their higher moisture content.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese is traditionally made from the milk of cows, sheep, and goats. However, more obscure types of milk can be used, such as camel, horse, or yak milk.
The process of making cheese involves separating the milk into solid curds and liquid whey. Salt is then added for flavour and preservation, and the curds are pressed into moulds. The cheese is then aged, with the length of time depending on the type of cheese.
Cow's milk cheese is more common and typically has a milder flavour than goat's milk cheese. Goat's milk cheese may have a stronger, more pungent flavour that some people describe as medicinal.
Yes, it is possible to make cheese at home. Some simple, unripened cheeses such as mozzarella, cottage cheese, and cream cheese can be made and eaten on the same day. More complex cheeses may require ageing for several months or even years to develop their desired flavour and texture.
