The Role of Ca Equilibrium on the Functional Properties of Cheese: A Review

Abstract

The functional properties of cheese, such as texture and melt, are known to be controlled by several important parameters. Recently, the characteristics of Ca in cheeses, especially the form of Ca (insoluble (INSOL) or soluble) and the shift in Ca equilibrium (i.e., from INSOL to soluble Ca), during aging has received a lot of attention. The INSOL form of Ca, which is present as a structural form in casein, plays a critical role in determining the functional properties of cheese during the early period of ripening (~1 mon). It seems that there is always a reduction of INSOL Ca content in cheese during ripening and there are also factors that can affect the shift in Ca equilibrium. These factors may include the composition of cheese milk, cheese manufacturing pH, acid development during aging, adopting curd-washing in various methods, pre-acidification of milk, etc. There have been many studies showing that the rheological and melting properties of cheese during ripening were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the shift in Ca equilibrium. Therefore, for cheese makers, it is now possible to predict/ manage the functional properties of cheese by monitoring and controlling Ca equilibrium in cheese during aging.

Mineral equilibrium in commercial curd and predictive ability of near-infrared spectroscopy

“…Regarding the differentiation between soluble and micellar fractions of major minerals, only few studies have characterized such traits, and all dealt with Cheddar cheese (Lucey and Fox, 1993;Hassan et al, 2004). Previous studies reported a decrease of micellar Ca content, and consequently an increase of soluble fraction during ripening (Hassan et al, 2004;Lee and Lee, 2009). Hassan et al (2004) reported total Ca content of 8.33 mg/g and micellar Ca content of 6.44 mg/g at 1 d of ripening, in agreement with results of the current study.…”

Effect of calcium addition and pH on yield and texture of Minas cured cheese

“…Vet. Zootec., v.65, n.2, p.601-609, 2013 of calcium was present inside casein after cheese making (Lucey et al, 2003;Lucey et al, 2005;Chevanan and Muthukumarappan, 2007;Guinee and O'Kennedy, 2009;Lee and Lee, 2009). …”

“…The pH variations also lead to a shift in calcium equilibrium, and are influenced by factors like composition and pre-acidification of milk, cheese manufacturing pH, acid development during aging, among others. There have been many studies showing that calcium equilibrium affects the rheological properties of cheese (Hassan et al, 2004;Johnson and Lucey, 2006;Lee and Lee, 2009). …”

Inclusion of microalgae in the caprine diet improves nutritional profile of milk and its Camembert cheese

“…Camembert cheese is a popular cheese with a short maturation time, high nutritional value and wide consumption (Leclercq‐Perlat et al . 2013; Lee and Bae 2018). Although Camembert cheese has traditionally been produced from cow milk, nowadays, cheese producers are also considering goat and sheep milks to make Camembert cheese (Gebreyowhans et al .…”