Cheese classification Flashcards
List 4 factors that influence cheese classification and/or distinguish cheeses (first day of production)
- pH control
- moisture content
- salting
- coagulation
How does moisture content contribute to cheese classification?
- Cheese types vary in moisture content
- High/low cooking temp (thermophilic vs. mesophilic culture)
- Curd (cheddar) and cheese ripening
How does pH control contribute to cheese classification?
- acid vs culture –> both produce acidic condition
- amount/type of culture/acid
- washing cheese to remove lactose (lactose causes acidic flavor)
How does the type of coagulation contribute to cheese classification?
- Types of coagulation agents: acid, heat-acid, rennet
- cheese curds are cut into different sizes
How does salting contribute to cheese classification?
- Salt can be added before or after molding/ curd formation.
- Cheese wheel can soak in brine
Describe the coagulation, texture, and examples of Predominantly Acid Coagulated cheese?
- mostly acid, little to no rennet
- soft, spreadable, non-elastic, high moisture
- cottage cheese, cream cheese, Figaro (ripened)
Describe the coagulation, texture, and examples of Heat-Acid Coagulated cheese?
- Milk is heated to 75-100 degrees Celsius; organic acid is added; protein precipitates, ~90% is whey liquid
- does not melt easily, crumbly, high moisture
- channa, paneer, ricotta
Describe the coagulation, texture, and examples of Rennet Coagulated Fresh?
- only rennet (little to no culture) ; no/low cooking
- does not melt; high moisture
- Halloumi
Describe the coagulation, texture, and examples of Soft Ripened Cheese?
- Rennet + culture; no/low cooking
- curds are molded, unmolded, salted, then ripened.
- feta (salt brine), brie, camembert (mold), blue cheese (mold)
Describe the coagulation, texture, and examples of Semi-hard Washed cheese?
- Rennet + culture; low temp. cooking; washing; salted before or after molding
- Semi-hard texture
- Havarti, Oka
Describe the coagulation, texture, and examples of Mesophilic Firm-Hard cheese?
- Rennet + culture; low temp. cooking; stirring or cheddaring curd, ripening
- less moisture, “the snap”
- cheddar (ripened), mozzarella (fresh)
How is the process of making cheddar cheese unique from other cheeses?
- cheddaring process
- curds are shredded
- different lengths of ageing for level of flavor
Describe the coagulation, texture, and examples of High Temp-Hard cheese?
- Rennet + Thermophilic culture; high temp. cooking; brine salted
- low moisture, hard
- Parmesan, swiss types (all ripened)
Describe how acid affects the structure of milk
- Lowering the pH causes CaP to dissolve in the water phase, which leads to coagulations of casein micelles and a firmer cheese
Describe how temperature affects the structure of the milk
- higher temp. –> firmer cheese
- lower temp. –> softer cheese
Describe how acid-heat affects the structure of the milk
- denaturation of whey proteins(>70 degrees C)
- WP interacts with kappa-casein
- Causes precipitation of WP and CN together
- the WP acts a bridge between CN micelles
Describe how rennet affects the structure of the milk
- chymosin cleaves caseino-macro peptide CMP of the kappa-caesin.
- casein micelles aggregate
