An X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of Cheddar Cheese

Tuckey, S.L.; Ruehe, Harrison August; Clark, George L.

doi:10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(38)95645-0

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the earliest studies date back to the 1900s (Babcock et al, 1903;Tuckey et al, 1938), a clear and unambiguous characterization of these structures has not yet been achieved. Moreover, a univocal association between the terminology (e.g., crystals, specks, dots, granules, spots, pearls) and the appearance of these structures is still lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

New insight on crystal and spot development in hard and extra-hard cheeses: Association of spots with incomplete aggregation of curd granules

D’Incecco

Limbo

Faoro

et al. 2016

Journal of Dairy Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chemical composition and structure of different types of macroparticles (specks, spots) and microparticles (microcrystals) present in hard and extra-hard cheeses were investigated. Light microscopy revealed that the small hard specks had the structure of crystalline tyrosine, as confirmed by amino acid analysis. Spots showed a complex structure, including several curd granules, cavities, and microcrystals, and were delimited by a dense protein layer. Spots contained less moisture and ash than the adjacent cheese area, and more protein, including significantly higher contents of valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. Microcrystals were observed by light and electron microscopy and analyzed by confocal micro-Raman. Among others, calcium phosphate crystals appeared to consist of a central star-shaped structure immersed in a matrix of free fatty acids plus leucine and phenylalanine in free form or in small peptides. A hypothetical mechanism for the formation of these structures has been formulated.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

New insight on crystal and spot development in hard and extra-hard cheeses: Association of spots with incomplete aggregation of curd granules

D’Incecco

Limbo

Faoro

et al. 2016

Journal of Dairy Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Crystals that form in cheese have been the subject of scientific inquiry for over a century, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) has been marshaled as a direct analytical approach to identify cheese crystals for almost as long, the earliest studies dating back to the 1930s (Tuckey and Ruehe 1938 ; Tuckey et al 1938 ). Most XRD investigations of cheese crystals have been restricted to Cheddar cheese and have focused primarily on calcium lactate pentahydrate (CLP) crystals (Agarwal et al 2006 ; Chou et al 2003 ; Conchie et al 1960 ; Dybing et al 1988 ; Harper et al 1953 ; Tuckey et al 1938 ; Washam et al 1985 ). A few studies of Cheddar also identified the occurrence of crystals consisting of tyrosine (Conchie et al 1960 ; Harper et al 1953 ; Shock et al 1948 ), cysteine (Harper et al 1953 ; Shock et al 1948 ), and calcium phosphate (Conchie and Sutherland 1965 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crystal fingerprinting: elucidating the crystals of Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gouda, and soft washed-rind cheeses using powder x-ray diffractometry

Tansman

Kindstedt

Hughes

2015

Dairy Sci. & Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Crystals in cheese may be considered defects or positive features, depending on the variety and mode of production (industrial, artisanal). Powder x-ray diffractometry (PXRD) offers a simple means to identify and resolve complex combinations of crystals that contribute to cheese characteristics. The objective of the present research was to demonstrate the application of PXRD to study crystals from a range of different cheese types, specifically Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gouda, and soft washed-rind (smear ripened) cheeses. In studies of Parmigiano-Reggiano and long-aged Gouda, PXRD has confirmed that hard (crunchy) crystals that form abundantly within these cheeses consist of tyrosine. Furthermore, PXRD has tentatively identified the presence of an unusual form of crystalline leucine in large (up to 6 mm in diameter) spherical entities, or “pearls”, that occur abundantly in 2-year-old Parmigiano Reggiano and long-aged Gouda cheeses, and on the surface of rindless hard Italian-type cheese. Ongoing investigations into the nature of these “pearls” are providing new insight into the roles that crystals play in the visual appearance and texture of long-aged cheeses. Crystals also sometimes develop profusely in the eyes of long-aged Gouda, which have been shown by PXRD to consist of tyrosine and the aforementioned presumptive form of crystalline leucine. Finally, crystals have been shown by PXRD to form in the smears of soft washed-rind cheeses. These crystals may be associated in some cheeses with gritty mouth feel and with zonal body softening that occurs during ripening. Heightened interest in artisanal cheeses highlights the need to better understand crystals and their contributions to cheese characteristics.

show abstract

“…White crystalline deposits that sometimes form on the surface of Cheddar cheese have been identified as calcium lactate crystals, specifically calcium lactate pentahydrate Ca(CH 3 CHOHCOO) 2 ؒ5H 2 O (Tuckey et al, 1938;McDowall and McDowell, 1939;Shock et al, 1948;Farrer and Hollberg, 1960). These crystals are assumed to form when calcium and lactate ions exceed their solubility, supersaturate the serum phase of the cheese, and then crystallize at nucleation sites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compositional Factors Associated with Calcium Lactate Crystallization in Smoked Cheddar Cheese

Rajbhandari

Kindstedt

2005

Journal of Dairy Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous researchers have observed that surface crystals of calcium lactate sometimes develop on some Cheddar cheese samples but not on other samples produced from the same vat of milk. The causes of within-vat variation in crystallization behavior have not been identified. This study compared the compositions of naturally smoked Cheddar cheese samples that contained surface crystals with those of samples originating from the same vat that were crystal-free. Six pairs of retail samples (crystallized and noncrystallized) produced at the same cheese plant on different days were obtained from a commercial source. Cheese samples were 5 to 6 mo old at the time of collection. They were then stored for an additional 5 to 13 mo at 4 degrees C to ensure that the noncrystallized samples remained crystal-free. Then, the crystalline material was removed and collected from the surfaces of crystallized samples, weighed, and analyzed for total lactic acid, L(+) and D(-) lactic acid, Ca, P, NaCl, moisture, and crude protein. Crystallized and noncrystallized samples were then sectioned into 3 concentric subsamples (0 to 5 mm, 6 to 10 mm, and greater than 10 mm depth from the surface) and analyzed for moisture, NaCl, titratable acidity, L(+) and D(-) lactic acid, pH, and total and water-soluble calcium. The data were analyzed by ANOVA according to a repeated measures design with 2 within-subjects variables. The crystalline material contained 52.1% lactate, 8.1% Ca, 0.17% P, 28.5% water, and 8.9% crude protein on average. Both crystallized and noncrystallized cheese samples contained significant gradients of decreasing moisture from center to surface. Compared with noncrystallized samples, crystallized samples possessed significantly higher moisture, titratable acidity, L(+) lactate, and water soluble calcium, and significantly lower pH and NaCl content. The data suggest that formation of calcium lactate crystals may have been influenced by within-vat variation in salting efficacy in the following manner. Lower salt uptake by some of the cheese curd during salting may have created pockets of higher moisture and thus higher lactose within the final cheese. When cut into retail-sized chunks, the lower salt, higher moisture samples contained more lactic acid and thus lower cheese pH, which shifted calcium from the insoluble to the soluble state. Lactate and soluble calcium contents in these samples became further elevated at the cheese surface because of dehydration during smoking, possibly triggering the formation of calcium lactate crystals.

show abstract

An X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of Cheddar Cheese

Cited by 16 publications

References 8 publications

New insight on crystal and spot development in hard and extra-hard cheeses: Association of spots with incomplete aggregation of curd granules

New insight on crystal and spot development in hard and extra-hard cheeses: Association of spots with incomplete aggregation of curd granules

Crystal fingerprinting: elucidating the crystals of Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gouda, and soft washed-rind cheeses using powder x-ray diffractometry

Compositional Factors Associated with Calcium Lactate Crystallization in Smoked Cheddar Cheese

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About