Cheesemaking

Cheese-making is the process in which from the milk of cows from cattle and buffaloes, sheep or goats or from sweet whey by coagulation of the protein components of the final cheese.

• 3.1 Hard cheese - extra-hard cheese
• 3.2 Semi-hard cheese
• 3.3 Soft Cheese 3.3.1 Soft cheese with mold maturation
• 3.3.2 Soft cheese with washed rind

History

The history of cheese making dates back to the early Neolithic of Central Europe. Spectroscopic investigations (GC- MS) to Siebgefäßen the Linear Pottery ( 5500-4900 BC) from Kuyavian show residues of milk fat and thus their use for the production of cheese. Vessels with pictures of goats and sheep for the first time from the Early Neolithic Körös culture (ca. 6000-5600 BC ) is known. Since the lactase persistence ( the compatibility of animal raw milk ) is detected in the early Neolithic only very occasionally, can even in the vessels of the Körös culture of fermented dairy products are (probably cheese ) is assumed.

Even in Egypt and Greece, the production of cheese from sheep's or goat's milk was widespread. The Romans drove the cheese culture. You flavored cheese and refined it with herbs. After the fall of the Roman Empire the knowledge survived to the production of cheese in Christian monasteries.

Manufacturing process

Cheese can be made ​​of both milk and whey.

Raw material milk

It is used for cheese-making milk from cattle, buffaloes, sheep or goats. The milk of pigs does not contain enough milk protein casein for cheese production. For the production of raw milk cheese untreated milk used.

Finds milk as a raw material for the production of cheese application, precipitation ( coagulation ) can take place of the milk protein casein by either rennet or by Sauerlegung. Due to the coagulation of the casein of the cheese contains its firm texture. Thus, between rennet ( Süßmilchkäse ) and sour milk cheese is distinguished.

In the rennet curdling is done by an enzyme mixture of pepsin and chymosin, contained in the Lab. When sour milk coagulates casein by lactic acid bacteria. Sour milk cheese is mostly cream cheese. However, there are also ripened sour milk cheese.

Base of sweet whey

Sweet whey is a by- product in the production of rennet cheese. In cheese whey, the whey proteins of the sweet whey albumin and globulin, which serves as a raw material, precipitated. The precipitation is carried out by heating the sweet whey. The clotting does not take place during cheese whey by enzymes or lactic bacteria.

Sweet whey as a by-product in the production of rennet and the proteins albumin and globulin to clot by means other than casein, whey cheese may be referred to as a " cheese after the cheese ."

Manufacturing steps

The milk is processed to cheese production must meet strict quality standards. A large part of the cheese is made ​​from cow's milk, in rarer cases, from the milk of sheep or goat. For the production of raw milk cheeses, the milk of cows is preferred that were also fed hay in winter and not with silage. When Silogärung created the spore-forming ( heat-stable ) Clostridium tyrobutyricum, which may cause the cheese to a faulty fermentation.

Preparation

• Examination of the milk on bacteriological quality
• Adjusting the fat content (adding or removal of cream )
• Duration of heating, pasteurization or ultra high-temperature, unless raw milk cheese to be produced

Coagulation

The Coagulation factors that will influence which cheese is made.

• Caused by acidification using lactic acid bacteria ( Leuconostoc sp., Lactococcus sp.) Cream cheese and sour milk cheese ripened
• By Lab (from calf stomach or biotechnologically produced in fermenters with the help of molds Mucor mihei, Aspergillus niger) wins one hard cheese, sliced ​​cheese, semi-hard cheese and soft cheese
• Come Lab together with maturation cultures ( microorganisms) in the milk, so this is curdled after half an hour. This mass is called " curd " or " jelly ".

Cutting, forming, pressing

• The curd is cut into small pieces with the " cheese harp ." ( The harder the cheese is to be, the smaller ). The right time for cutting is still determined mainly by manual examination. This one gets the " curd ". According to the further processing of this curd is then heated gently to allow the broken grains further contracts ( syneresis ) and loses even more whey. This process is referred to as " firing of the fraction ." This is done, depending on the type of cheese at a temperature of up to 55 ° C. The higher the temperature the more whey comes out and the higher the dry matter. The further processing of the water content and thus the strength and shelf life of the cheese is affected.
• The cheese curd comes in varietal forms. There arise the cheeses.
• For all types of cheese which are further processed to cut or hard cheese, a pressing of the whey is required. This can be done slowly or rapidly using pressing devices.
• From the sweet whey can be obtained by heating whey cheese.

Salt bath

• By swimming in brine the edges of the young cheese loaf is removed from further water and prepared rind formation. The salinity of the Lake, depending on type of cheese 15-22 %. It also migrates salt in the cheese and thus contributes to the flavor formation with at.

Maturation

• A days, weeks or months maturation is a prerequisite that the varietal aroma can develop. Only fresh cheese must not intervene (See quark production). Upon maturation metabolic processes of microorganisms play an important role.
• With some standard cheeses a certain aging period is required by law.
• During ripening, the cheeses are turned, coated, brushed or rolled in herbs.
• Brine cheeses such as Feta, matured in brine

Finishing

Be to achieve specific flavors some cheese refined by so-called Affineuren ( Affinage ).

Preservation

Many solid cheeses obtained before the tires a protective layer of wax or are repeatedly rubbed with salt or brine, whereby the outer layers of the water is removed and the hard, dry rind is formed. With proper treatment in combination with red smear result is a wax-like semi-soft rind that is still breathable. This air permeability provides the cheese the prerequisite to be able to mature properly. Cheese matures the absence of air in wax, has less character and tastes accordingly fader.

Before dispatch, the cheeses are often dipped in paraffin. The paraffin shell is impermeable to air and to stop the ripening process.

Only a few varieties and only "young" cheese one eats the resulting bark with also. Sometimes cheese is placed in olive oil with spices and herbs and in the same time enriched taste, mostly it involves cream cheese. Mozzarella in turn comes in brine inserted into the trade.

Some cheeses are wrapped in chestnut leaves or wine or rolled in pure wood ash. The so-called blue-veined cheese ( blue cheese such as Stilton and Gorgonzola or white mold cheeses such as Camembert and Brie ) of the fracture or the whole cheese is inoculated with specific edible fungi. This partly arises no bark.

Some national cuisines have also developed a range of specialties to store less -stable cheese like cream cheese a longer time. In the French kitchen is one of them Le Pitchou or Crottin de Berry à l' Huile d' Olive, doused in fresh goat's milk cheese with oil. Cheese residues were previously processed in Fromage continued specialties. Today, these recipes such as the confit d' Epoisses cheese are made from specialty stores and sold to their customers.

The various types of cheese

Hard cheese - extra-hard cheese

Untreated raw milk is the raw material for the production of extra -hard and hard cheese. After the rennet coagulation of milk is finely cut, since small grains of cheese excrete more whey. To strengthen the cheese grains good, the grains of cheese - whey mixture is quite hot and is then pressed the curd about 20 hours. The salt bath cut the cheese water, the protein content is now at least 45 percent. Extra -hard and hard cheeses are matured slowly. A few months up to 3 years it takes until they are ready for consumption. There are only full-fat cheese with at least 45 % fat in dry matter.

Depending on the " age group " there are differences in taste among the hard cheeses. The younger the cheese, the milder the flavor. Only the fully ripened cheese revealing the full flavor.

A typical and traditional representatives of the extra-hard cheese is Swiss Sbrinz. However, various alpine cheese belong to this " genre " of.

The most famous hard cheese are:

• Gruyère: eating maturity after 5 months, full maturity after 8-12 months
• Emmental: eating maturity after 4-5 months, full maturity after 10-18 months
• Sbrinz: eating maturity after 18 months full maturity after 2-3 years
• Parmesan; Consumption maturity after 12 months full maturity after at least 2 years

Semi-hard cheese

There are two different semi-hard cheeses. Depending on the variety they are made from pasteurized milk or raw milk. For the coagulation of the milk rennet is added and cut the cheese grains and whey mixture into medium-sized grains of cheese. In order for the cheese grains leave the whey and consolidated, so the fraction is heated and then pressed. After the salt bath, the cheeses are further treated and lubricated depending on the variety.

The protein content of semi-hard cheese varies from 25 to 40%.

The semi-hard cheese is available in four different fat contents:

• Cream cheese: at least 55 %, for example Rahmtilsiter
• Full-fat cheese: at least 45 %, for example Appenzeller
• Quarter -fat cheese: at least 15 %, for example Tilsit
• Low-fat cheese: less than 15 %, for example Glarus Schabziger

The dough of the semi-hard cheese is easily fixed to soft sleek.

Again, the "age" also makes it extant to savory. The range of semi-hard cheese is huge. Typical examples are: Raclette, Appenzeller, Tilsit, Tête de Moine, Fribourg Vacherin, mountain cheese, Gouda, Edam and forties.

Soft cheese

The production of soft cheese pasteurized milk is mostly used. After the lab- adding the cheese grains and whey mixture is only slightly heated so that the grains remain soft and large. The curd is then lightly pressed and letting her just drain. The salt bath lasts only a short time. The cheeses have a water content of about 50 % and a protein content of about 20%. Therefore, the maturation period lasts only a few weeks.

Generally there are two types:

Soft cheese with mold maturation

The dough of this cheese is smooth, with increasing age to fluent, the taste usually mild, but is increasingly stronger. Traditionally produced cheeses have a sour, chalky core. Today's industrially produced soft cheese has under other Säuerungskulturen ( thermophilic) no longer core. The white bark is eaten. Brie suisse, suisse Camembert and Tomme are his best-known representatives. The ripening time is only 1-3 weeks.

Soft cheese with washed rind

During the ripening period of a few weeks to 3 months, this cheese is washed or lubricated with salt water. So they get their brownish bark. The dough is fine, soft and creamy. The mild flavor is pronounced with age and strong. Typical examples are: Reblochon, Munster, Romadur, Limburger and Vacherin Mont- d'Or.

Cream cheese

In the production of fresh cheese, pasteurized milk is brought about by the provision of the little or no rennet and lactic acid bacteria to clot. The whey is traditionally separated through cheesecloth, in this case the coagulated mass is placed in a cloth and squeezed.

Today's industrial methods for the separation of the whey are centrifuged ( using separators ) or ultrafiltration. The separated curd is enriched to the desired level of fat content with cream. Depending on the fresh cheese of different additives are added. The ingredients and additives are listed in the food labeling. Cream cheese rind are loose, unripened cheese that are ready to eat immediately after their preparation. They are available in many different fat contents. Fresh cheeses are soft and spreadable curd, little or no salted, with a very delicate flavor.

The higher its fat content, the creamier and finer they are.

The most common varieties are: cottage cheese, cottage cheese, Formaggini, Petit- suisse, cream and double cream.

Holes in the cheese

The maturation process that creates the holes is called propionic acid fermentation. The milk can be fed to certain propionic acid bacteria. This build created by lactic acid bacteria during the fermentation of the milk sugar to lactic acid further from propionic acid, acetic acid and CO2. At the beginning of lactic acid degradation, the CO2 binds with water. If the water is present in the cheese saturated with CO2, the CO2 is released in gaseous form. Due to the beef -ripened cheeses, the gas can not escape, it accumulates poorly spliced ​​sites in cheese batter and forms voids - the holes in the cheese. Depending on how many bacteria are in the milk and the cheese is stored, there are more or fewer, smaller or larger holes.

Size, shape and distribution of the holes give accurate information about the course of maturation and thus on the quality of the cheese. Known for its holes is about the Emmental.

The smaller holes, such as when Tilsit, occur prior to the maturation and differ from the above. Here the cheese is distributed before maturation into molds and just lightly pressed. The casual layering the curds can then the small holes arise.

The largest cheese producer

The most important by far Manufacturer Country for cheese is the U.S., followed by Germany and France, which are almost equal; followed by Italy and the Netherlands. The largest cheese factory is located in the U.S., in Gooding, Gooding County, Idaho. There Barrel Cheese 120,000 tonnes annually produced, the raw material for processed cheese.

France is particularly well known among the cheese -producing countries for its large number of cheeses. The French Appellation d' Origine distinguishes among others, the four production categories Fermier, Artisanal, Coopératives and Industriel.

The German cheese exports in 2006 amounted to almost 819,000 tonnes, up 16 % over 2005.

See also: Milk ( " The largest milk producer " ) and butter ( " The largest butter producer " )