Low-moisture Cheese Research Articles

Influence of Baking Temperature and Formulation on Physical, Sensorial, and Morphological Properties of Pogácsa Cake: An Image Analysis Study.

Pogácsa is a high-demand bakery product with a unique texture, where crumb structure is a determining factor for its textural quality and consumer acceptability. At present, there is no non-destructive in-line inspection method for textural quality assessment of pogácsa. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the texture of pogácsa using the image processing technique, which was prepared using different cheeses with varying moisture contents (MC) and was baked at 200 and 215 °C. Samples were assessed for textural, visual, physical, and sensorial properties. The findings indicated that the highest porosity (72.75%) was found for the sample baked at 215 °C with low-moisture cheese (58%), while the lowest porosity (32.66%) was observed for cheese-free sample baked at 200 °C. Pore volumetric ratio and MC showed strong correlations (p < 0.01) with hardness (−0.90 and −0.89), resilience (0.87 and 0.83), cohesiveness (0.84 and 0.82), springiness (0.87 and 0.90), gumminess (−0.92 and −0.92), and chewiness (−0.92 and −0.92), respectively. The pore volumetric ratio showed a strong correlation (p < 0.01) with reference porosity (0.71). Overall, the current study indicated that adding cheese with varying MC and baking temperature could affect the texture of pogácsa cake, which could be detected by image analysis.

Cheese Microbial Risk Assessments - A Review.

Cheese is generally considered a safe and nutritious food, but foodborne illnesses linked to cheese consumption have occurred in many countries. Several microbial risk assessments related to Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli infections, causing cheese-related foodborne illnesses, have been conducted. Although the assessments of microbial risk in soft and low moisture cheeses such as semi-hard and hard cheeses have been accomplished, it has been more focused on the correlations between pathogenic bacteria and soft cheese, because cheese-associated foodborne illnesses have been attributed to the consumption of soft cheeses. As a part of this microbial risk assessment, predictive models have been developed to describe the relationship between several factors (pH, Aw, starter culture, and time) and the fates of foodborne pathogens in cheese. Predictions from these studies have been used for microbial risk assessment as a part of exposure assessment. These microbial risk assessments have identified that risk increased in cheese with high moisture content, especially for raw milk cheese, but the risk can be reduced by preharvest and postharvest preventions. For accurate quantitative microbial risk assessment, more data including interventions such as curd cooking conditions (temperature and time) and ripening period should be available for predictive models developed with cheese, cheese consumption amounts and cheese intake frequency data as well as more dose-response models.

Evaluation of quality of grated cheese to protect public health

By definition Grated cheese, is the product obtained by crumbling or grating cheese of low humidity suitable for human consumption. It is a food widely consumed by the population, however it can offers some risks to public health when it is contaminated with a pathogen. The Foodborne Diseases (FBD) are caused by ingestion of food or drink that contains pathogens and/or toxins produced by them in quantities that affect the health of consumers. Among the microorganisms that cause FBD of importance in cheese stand out, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp. e Escherichia coli . The related legislation in Brazil, the RDC no 12 and the Ordinance no 357 regulates the microbiological standards for foods. This study evaluated the quality of samples of grated cheese marketed in the city of Juiz de Fora , MG. Twenty samples were analyzed. Forty percent were rejected for the counting of molds and yeasts and 15% had counts close to the acceptation limit for these microorganisms. Concerning to moisture analyses, 20% of the samples were in disagreement with the limit established by legislation to low moisture cheeses. These results show that grated cheese industries should be better monitored by health authorities, so that the final product has quality and safety guaranteed.

Properties and antimicrobial activity of the smear surface cheese coryneform bacterium Brevibacterium linens

Surface microorganisms contribute to the ripening of some low-moisture cheese varieties and the composition of the surface microflora is dynamic. Brevibacterium linens is an important surface microorganism that is present in the smear of surface-ripened cheeses and is commonly regarded as the organism primarily responsible for the characteristic taste, aroma, and color of surface cheese. The enzymology and biochemical characteristics of B. linens influence the ripening and final characteristics of smear surface-ripened cheeses. Proteolytic, peptidolytic, esterolytic, and lipolytic activities are of particular importance in the ripening process. Because of its putative importance to the ripening in smear-ripened cheeses, B. linens is the best studied component of the microflora, although in comparision with other dairy-related microorganisms, it is poorly characterized. B. linens produces antimicrobial substances that inhibit the growth of many food poisoning bacteria as well as several yeast and moulds. Some inhibitory substances produced by this species were identified as bacteriocins. Bacteriocins could appear as potential agents to be applied in food conservation systems in order to provide microbiologically stable foods. This article describes the properties of B. linens and discusses about the potential of this species to produce bacteriocins and other antimicrobial substances, which are important for production of high quality cheese.

Managing diet quality for Cheddar cheese manufacturing milk. 2. Pasture v. grain supplements

The effects of supplementing a basal diet of silage and hay with increasing amounts of harvested spring pasture, or with lupin and wheat, on the composition of milk and the consequent effects on cheese composition and yield were investigated in an indoor feeding study. Milk was collected from five groups of eight cows in mid lactation offered different diets and manufactured into Cheddar cheese on a pilot scale. Milk from cows given the lupin-wheat (LW) and the high pasture level (HP) diets produced low moisture cheese. Cheese produced with milk from cows given the control diet was high in moisture content compared with that made with milk from cows offered the LW diet. Cheese yields from the milk of cows offered the HP and LW diets were greater than from the milk of cows on the control diet, and were associated with the higher casein concentrations of these milks. Casein number was higher in milk from diets supplemented with pasture but was not an indicator of the functional properties of milk that affected cheese moisture. The proportion of beta-casein in milk from cows offered the HP diet was higher and that of gamma-casein lower than in milk from cows given the LW supplement, although cheese moisture content was similar with both diets. Milk from cows offered the HP diet had a greater inorganic P concentration than that from cows given the LW diet, although the dietary intake of P was higher for the LW diet. The significance of the effect of dietary P intake on the concentration of inorganic P in milk and hence its suitability for cheesemaking was apparent when dietary P intake was low, as shown in milk produced by cows offered the control diet.

Shelf-Life of Pasteurized Process Cheese Spreads Made from Cheddar Cheese Manufactured with a Nisin-Producing Starter Culture

Cheddar cheese made with a nisin-producing starter culture and Cheddar cheese made with a commercially available starter culture were used to manufacture pasteurized process cheese spreads at low and high moisture percentages (53 and 60%, respectively). Composition did not differ between spreads of similar moisture content with and without nisin. The nisin contents of cheese spreads were 301 and 387 IU/g at the high and low moisture percentages, respectively. Nisin was not inactivated by the thermal process used during cheese spread manufacture. Shelf-life of pasteurized process cheese spreads was determined during storage at 22 and 37°C. Low moisture cheese spreads with nisin had a longer shelf-life than corresponding cheese spreads without nisin when cheeses were incubated at either temperature. High moisture cheese spreads with nisin had a longer shelf-life than control spreads when cheeses were incubated at 22°C. However, shelf-life did not differ between high moisture spread with nisin and cheese spreads without nisin when cheeses were incubated at 37°C.

Variation in Composition and Functional Properties Within Brine-Salted Mozzarella Cheese

Objectives of this research were to determine whether locational differences in composition within a cheese block affected melting characteristics. Immediately after brining, industrial low moisture and low moisture, part skim cheeses were divided in half vertically. Equally weighted samples representing surface and center from one-half of each block were analyzed immediately (d 2) for apparent viscosity, free oil, and composition (moisture, fat, NaCl, Ca, pH). Samples from the other half were vacuum packaged and stored at 4°C until analysis on d 16. From d 2 to d 16, free oil increased significantly, and apparent viscosity decreased significantly. Free oil increased the most in the center of low moisture cheeses, indicating that Mozzarella with high fat and low NaCl contents has greater tendency to oil off. Surface samples had significantly higher NaCl and apparent viscosity and lower moisture, Ca, and free oil than center samples. These locational differences in melting characteristics may be caused in part by exchange of Na with casein-bound Ca at the cheese surface, which enhances the emulsifying ability of soluble casein, resulting in a more emulsified fat phase at the cheese surface and less formation of free oil.

Relationship of Curing Temperatures to Quality of American Cheddar Cheese

Summary One hundred and sixteen vats of milk of good quality were made into cheese, and the four duplicate cheeses made from each vat were stored as follows: One was held for 6 months at 34° F.; one for 3 months at 50° plus 3 months at 34° ; one for 6 months at 50° ; and one for 3 months at 60° plus 3 months at 34°. In the group stored for 3 months at 50° plus 3 months at 34° F., and also in the group stored 6 months at 50°, the majority of the cheeses were better in quality than the duplicates (or controls) that were stored 6 months at 34°. But in the group stored 3 months at 60° plus 3 months at 34°, the majority of the cheeses were poorer in quality than the duplicates stored 6 months at 34°. Of the 116 cheeses that were stored 6 months at 50° F., about 68 per cent had a score of 92 or more at the end of the storage period and the other 32 per cent had a score of less than 92. Of the high-scoring group, 87 per cent were better in quality than, or as good as, the duplicate that was stored 6 months at 34°; whereas, of the lower-scoring group, only 32 per cent were better than, or as good as, the duplicate stored 6 months at 34°. From these data, it appears that if a cheese is destined as a result of some inherent defect in the making process to have a score below 92, it will have a relatively higher score if it is held at 34° F. than if it is cured at 50°. When cheese is held 6 months at 34° F., the percentage that will score 92 or better will be about the same whether the moisture content is above or below 38 per cent. When cheese is cured at any of the three higher temperatures used in this experiment, however, the percentage scoring 92 or better will be from 5 to 15 per cent in favor of the low-moisture cheese. Cheese made from milk of good quality and by methods which insure cheese of good quality can be cured at temperatures as high as 50° F. with reasonable certainty of developing a clean and characteristic Cheddar flavor. From past observations cheese made from bacteriologically poor milk or so manipulated that there is a tendency to develop acid, bitter, or other off-flavors, should be stored at 34° F. in order to retard the development of these defects as much as possible.