A 100-Year Review: Cheese production and quality

Abstract

In the beginning, cheese making in the United States was all art, but embracing science and technology was necessary to make progress in producing a higher quality cheese. Traditional cheese making could not keep up with the demand for cheese, and the development of the factory system was necessary. Cheese quality suffered because of poor-quality milk, but 3 major innovations changed that: refrigeration, commercial starters, and the use of pasteurized milk for cheese making. Although by all accounts cold storage improved cheese quality, it was the improvement of milk quality, pasteurization of milk, and the use of reliable cultures for fermentation that had the biggest effect. Together with use of purified commercial cultures, pasteurization enabled cheese production to be conducted on a fixed time schedule. Fundamental research on the genetics of starter bacteria greatly increased the reliability of fermentation, which in turn made automation feasible. Demand for functionality, machinability, application in baking, and more emphasis on nutritional aspects (low fat and low sodium) of cheese took us back to the fundamental principles of cheese making and resulted in renewed vigor for scientific investigations into the chemical, microbiological, and enzymatic changes that occur during cheese making and ripening. As milk production increased, cheese factories needed to become more efficient. Membrane concentration and separation of milk offered a solution and greatly enhanced plant capacity. Full implementation of membrane processing and use of its full potential have yet to be achieved. Implementation of new technologies, the science of cheese making, and the development of further advances will require highly trained personnel at both the academic and industrial levels. This will be a great challenge to address and overcome.

Physicochemical parameters and lactic acid bacteria count during ripening of Brazilian regional cheese manufactured with the addition of autochthonous cultures

“…Cheese is a product manufactured on all continents, and Europe is the largest producer and consumer with America being the second largest world market (Food and Agriculture Drganization, 2016;Johnson, 2017). A large variety of cheeses exist worldwide, which can be categorized based on several properties such as type of milk used, manufacturing specificities, texture, ripening time, among others.…”

Effect of pasture versus indoor feeding regimes on the yield, composition, ripening and sensory characteristics of Maasdam cheese

“…During cheesemaking, curd washing is utilized and cheeses are ripened in a warm room (20-21°C for 3-6 weeks) to achieve PAB growth, which leads to the development of a sweet and nutty taste as well as round eyes (Fr€ ohlich-Wyder et al 2017). In modern cheesemaking processes, there is a requirement to produce cheeses with consistent and desired compositional, sensory and functional characteristics to meet consumer requirements (Johnson 2017;Santiago-Lopez et al 2018). In particular, Irish cheese producers could target market opportunities for cheeses derived from pasture-fed milk production systems.…”

Nutritional, Microbial, and Allergenic Changes during the Fermentation of Cashew ‘Cheese’ Product Using a Quinoa-Based Rejuvelac Starter Culture

“…A popular dairy product is cheese, which depends on the bacterial fermentation of lactose into lactate and lactic acid [6]. Despite a history of thousands of years, the making of cheese is still evolving, as more efficient and safe methods are introduced [7]. These include dairy-free 'cheese-like' products, especially for consumers with allergies or certain dietary restrictions.…”