Table 1.1 Some properties of cheese categorized according to type of coagulation and procedures used for pH and moisture control. After Hill, 1995, Chemical species in cheese, Chemistry of Structure-Function Relationships in Cheese, Plenum Press, NY.
Varieties | Coagulation2 | MNFS3 | pH4 | Calcium mM/Kg SNF | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acid Coagulated | Cottage, quark, cream cheese | Acid coagulation at pH 4.6-4.8 |
72-80%, aw .980-.995 Controlled by cooking and washing treatments |
4.3-4.8 Inhibition of culture by low pH, high temperature cooking or cooling, and/or washing |
50-350 | Consumed fresh, short shelf life |
Heat-acid Coagulated | Indian Paneer and Chhana, Ricotta, Requeson. Useful as cooking cheese | Heat denatured whey proteins are co-precipitated with caseins by acid. Whey proteins inhibit melting | 75-84% Increases with whey protein content, decreases with cooking after acidification | 5.0-5.8; Amount of acidulant added. 3-6% lactose in cheese due to absence of fermentation | Normally consumed fresh, limited shelf life unless hot packed, pickled, or packed in sugar syrup | |
Unripened: rennet coagulated | Some Latin American, middle eastern and European varieties. Useful as cooking cheese | Rennet++, Little or no culture, cutting near endogenous pH | 60-80% Controlled by cooking, stirring out and draining conditions. Syneresis often occurs in the package | 5.8-6.6; Little or no culture. High pH prevents melting | Consumed fresh. High pH limits shelf life | |
Soft Ripened: High Acid | Feta, Camembert, Blue | Rennett+++, culture+++; ripening time+++, cutting at pH < 6.5 | 60-70%, aw .96-.99
Syneresis induced by acid development and by salting |
4.5-4.8
Acid inhibition of culture, salting and cooling |
400-600 | 2-8 weeks |
Semi-hard Cheese: Washed | Gouda, Edam, Colby, Havarti, Montasio and many others | Rennet++, culture-+, ripening time++, Cutting at pH < 6.6 | 55-65, aw .95-.97
Controlled by cooking, temperature of wash water, rate of acid development, curd handling, salting treatments |
4.8-5.2
Washing to remove lactose |
500-700 | 2 weeks - 9 months |
Hard Cheese: Low Temperature | Cheddar, Provolone | Rennet++, culture++, ripening time++, cutting at pH < 6.6 | 52-60, aw .94-.96
Controlled by cooking, curd handling, rate of acid development and salting |
Rate of acid development and moisture control determines residual lactose; draining pH is critical | 500-700 | 1-24+ months |
Hard Cheese: High Temperature | Swiss types, Italian types such as parmesan | Rennet+, culture+, ripening+ (little or none for Swiss), cutting at pH near 6.6 | 39-52%
Controlled mainly by high temperature cooking (52-55C) |
Acidity and moisture determine residual lactose; draining pH is critical | 600-800 | 1-24+ months |
1 Representive data from various sources is given to define broad ranges and trends only.
2 '+' symbols indicate amounts of rennet and culture and ripening time relative to other categories.
3 Moisture in non-fat substance.