Table 1.1
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.