Process for increasing homogeneity in properties of brine-salted cheeses

Abstract

A method is for manufacturing brine-salted cheese with a homogeneous salt distribution and/or organic acid distribution and/or eyes distribution and/or texture on one axis of the cheese. The method includes, before a brining, applying a hydrophobic barrier on the entire outer parts of the cheese, which are located at the ends of the cheese axis. The hydrophobic barrier is kept on the cheese outer parts at least during part of the brining.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing brine-salted cheese having an outer surface, wherein the outer surface comprises a first exterior portion and a second exterior portion, said method further comprising providing the cheese with a homogeneous salt distribution and/or homogeneous organic acid distribution and/or homogeneous eyes distribution and/or texture within the brine-salted cheese along a length that is parallel to the second exterior portion, wherein the method comprises, before brining, applying a hydrophobic barrier only on the first exterior portion, such that the second exterior portion lacks the hydrophobic barrier, and wherein said hydrophobic barrier is kept on said first exterior portion at least during part of the brining.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic barrier comprises a waxy layer covered by a protective layer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the waxy layer comprises a native animal fat, a blend of animal fats, a vegetable fat, a blend of vegetable fats, a mineral wax from non-renewable origin, a bio sourced wax from animal or vegetable origin or blends of these waxes.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the waxy layer is a dairy fat layer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the dairy fat layer comprises anhydrous milk fat or butter.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the protective layer comprises a plastic layer or a casein layer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the plastic layer comprises polyethylene, including high-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl acetate and/or polyester.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the brine-salted cheese is in the form of a rectangular block having a longitudinal axis, wherein the rectangular block has an upper surface, a bottom surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, a third side surface and a fourth side surface, the first side surface being located parallel to the third side surface, wherein the first exterior portion comprises the first and third side surfaces, wherein the upper and bottom surfaces, and second and fourth side surfaces extend along the longitudinal axis, and the first and third side surfaces extend transversely to the longitudinal axis.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the brine-salted cheese is in the form of a wheel having a top surface, a bottom surface and an outer circumferential surface that connects the top surface and the bottom surface, wherein the first exterior portion comprises the outer circumferential surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 is a scheme of eyes (2) distribution in a block of ripened brine-salted cheese (1) of the state of the art.

(2) FIG. 2 is a scheme of a rectangular block cheese (4) wherein the hydrophobic layer (5) is applied only of the two whole opposite outer parts of the cheese which are located at the ends of the longitudinal axis (hashed zones).

(3) FIG. 3 is a scheme of a cheese wheel (6) wherein the hydrophobic layer (5) is applied only on the whole outer circumference of the cheese (hashed zone).

(4) FIG. 4 is a scheme of different shapes of cheese block and the corresponding longitudinal, lateral, vertical, radial and/or height axis.

(5) FIG. 5 is a scheme of the eyes (2) distribution in the cheese of the invention obtained in Example 1.

(6) FIG. 6 is a scheme of the general sampling method used to investigate possible composition gradients within the cheese in Example 2.

(7) FIG. 7 is a scheme of the sampling method used to investigate longitudinal composition gradient within the cheese in Example 2.

(8) FIG. 8 is a set of histograms displaying the propionic acid content (A), succinic acid content (B), NaCl in dry matter (C) and moisture content (D) in the cheese of the invention compared to a control cheese, in the end slice, the 2.sup.nd slice, 3.sup.rd slice and 4th slice of the cheese in the longitudinal axis.

(9) FIG. 9 is a scheme of the sampling method used to investigate lateral composition gradient in the end rind of the cheese in Example 2.

(10) FIG. 10 is a set of histograms displaying the propionic acid content (A), succinic acid content (B), NaCl in dry matter (C) and moisture content (D) in the cheese of the invention compared to a control cheese, in the middle slice, the 2.sup.nd slice, 3.sup.rd slice and the rind of the cheese in the lateral axis.

(11) FIG. 11 is a scheme of the sampling method used to investigate lateral and vertical composition gradient in the core of the cheese block in Example 2.

(12) FIG. 12 is a set of histograms displaying the propionic acid content (A), succinic acid content (B), NaCl in dry matter (C) and moisture content (D) in the cheese of the invention compared to a control cheese, in the rinds, the “in between” slice and the core in the core of the cheese in the lateral and vertical axis.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

(13) This example describes a typical method of manufacture of a Leerdammer cheese according to the invention.

(14) During a conventional process of manufacture of Leerdammer cheese, after the pressing step and before the brining step, a rectangular Leerdammer Original cheese block was taken from the conveyor belt.

(15) On both end rinds of the cheese (the two opposite small surfaced rinds of the longitudinal axis), a homogeneous layer of 7 grams of anhydrous milk fat (waxy layer) with a droppoint of 30-40° C. was rubbed. The temperature of the end rind of the cheese was approximately 30° C. at the time of application. This temperature caused the fat to slightly melt and provided it to be smeared on the end rind.

(16) On top of this waxy layer, a layer of plastic foil (protective layer) with a thickness of 10 μm was placed. This layer had similar dimensions as the end rind creating a full surface barrier. With the use of a roller, the air is pushed out between the waxy layer and the protective layer whereby a nice adhesion was created.

(17) The treated cheese was then placed back on the conveyor belt before the brine bath entrance. The cheese was then ‘automatically’ brined following the standard brining protocol of Leerdammer Original.

(18) After about 20-150 hours of brining, the cheese was de-brined according to the standard protocol.

(19) One week after pressing, it was measured that 92.52±7.03% S/M (S/M=(NaCl in cheese×100)/(NaCl in cheese+moisture in cheese)) (N=6) was blocked by the hydrophobic barrier. Two weeks after pressing, it was measured that the moisture content in the cheese block was 40.91±0.22% w/w instead of 40.64±0.38% w/w in a non-treated cheese. This higher moisture content was also created by the hydrophobic barrier that limits the moisture migration out of the cheese during brining.

(20) These product parameters led to a decrease in defective slices of approximately 60%.

(21) Furthermore a homogeneous cheese composition and eye (2) formation was observed in the longitudinal axis of the cheese block (1), as compared to a non-treated cheese, as illustrated on FIG. 5.

(22) In the lateral and vertical direction, this homogeneity was not observed and not wanted. The inhomogeneity creates the natural cheese look of the slice.

Example 2

(23) This example discloses the difference of composition between a cheese obtained with the method of the invention and a conventional cheese.

(24) The hydrophobic barrier of the invention does not only have an influence on the eye formation itself, but also on the strongly related composition.

(25) FIG. 6 shows the sampling method used to investigate possible composition gradients within the cheese. The measurement was performed for a cheese obtained with the method depicted in Example 1 and a reference Leerdammer Original cheese.

(26) This composition was analyzed at the end of the ripening period to not only see the effect of the hydrophobic barrier on the salt, moisture and fat content, but also on the chemical composition of the cheese.

(27) Longitudinal Axis

(28) The highly appreciated composition gradient is sought in the longitudinal axis of the cheese. From the end rind (3) counting, four slices (7) of 2 cm thick were cut from the cheese block. The rinds of the slices were stripped off (2 cm in each direction) to make sure that only the longitudinal gradient would be analyzed. This sampling method is depicted in FIG. 7.

(29) The concentration in propionic acid (mg/kg) and succinic acid (mg/kg), the NaCl in dry matter content (% w/w) and the moisture content (% w/w) in the treated cheese and in a control cheese were determined in the first four slices of 2 cm thick.

(30) The results are shown on FIG. 8.

(31) What is especially clear from these graphs is that the gradient for the treated cheese is much lower than for a control cheese. The hydrophobic barrier created a lower and more stable salt content in the end rind. This lower salt content in combination with a higher moisture content leads to a higher propionic acid activity which is clearly visible in the amount of propionic acid and succinic acid found that are respectively direct and indirect byproducts of the propionic acid bacteria activity. In the fourth slice, 6-8 cm in the cheese, the composition was similar in terms of propionic acid, succinic acid, and salt in dry matter. Core quality was reached at this point.

(32) This was also shown in the defective slices count as there were no defective slices found at this point among 30-40 slices.

(33) Lateral and Vertical Axis

(34) The hydrophobic barrier, since only applied on the outer parts of the cheese located at the ends of the longitudinal axis, should not create a compositional difference in the lateral and vertical axis.

(35) Lateral Axis in the End Rind

(36) Samples taken for the analysis of compositional gradient in the lateral axis in the end rind were only taken from the first 4 centimeters of the block with a scrap of hydrophobic barrier as shown in FIG. 9. This explains the compositional differences between the control and the treated cheese shown in FIG. 10. For the control cheese, salt entered the cheese from the end rind (8) and thus further lowered the moisture content and propionic bacteria activity in the first centimeters of the cheese block. Also shown going in from the end rind (8) are third (9), second (10) and middle (11) slices.

(37) A gradient was, however, shown for both the treated cheese and the control cheese. The hydrophobic barrier thus did not prevent salt and moisture migration from both the lateral and vertical sides of the treated cheese.

(38) Lateral and Vertical Axis in the Core of the Cheese Block

(39) In the core of the block, samples were taken from three different depths. First of all, the rinds (12), just inside the outer dashed boundary, were cut off (2 cm). Second, the “in between” slices (13), defined by being just inside of the intermediate dashed boundary were cut off (2 cm). The last sample was the so called “core of the core” (14), defined by the innermost dashed boundary. This sampling method is depicted in FIG. 11. With this method the composition difference in the lateral and vertical axis in the core of the block was analyzed.

(40) For the core of the cheese block, core quality was assumed and no difference between the treated cheese and the reference Leerdammer Original block was expected.

(41) FIG. 12 shows that both cheeses were very similar. The only difference found was for the moisture content. This moisture difference was likely to have been caused by cheese compositional differences from the beginning or slightly different pressing and/or brining times.

(42) When they compared the end rind core composition to that of the “core of the core”, the inventors observed that the treated cheese was much closer (68% of the core propionic acid and 65% of the core succinic acid) to this core quality than the control cheese (17% of the core propionic acid and 20% of the core succinic acid) already in the first 2 cm of the cheese.

(43) These results thus confirm that the brine-salted cheese according to the invention displays a different composition from a control cheese, which explains its better qualities in the end rinds.