IMPROVED CHEESE RIPENING

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a naturally ripened, block-shaped cheese of the hard or semi-hard type comprising a water-permeable coating applied onto the entire surface of the cheese and a water-impermeable material applied onto the water-permeable coating, wherein at least all vertices and the four edges that connect the top face and bottom face of the block-shaped coated cheese are covered with a layer of the water-impermeable material while leaving the bottom face and top face of the block-shaped coated cheese largely uncovered. The present disclosure also relates to a method of making said naturally ripened, cylindrically shaped cheese of the hard or semi-hard type.

Claims

1. A method for providing a naturally ripened, block-shaped cheese of the hard or semi-hard type, comprising the steps of: (i) forming a block-shaped cheese from a curd by conventional means; (ii) applying a protective water-permeable coating layer onto the entire surface of the cheese, thereby obtaining a coated cheese; (iii) partially covering the coated cheese with a layer of a water-impermeable material thereby obtaining a partially covered coated cheese; and (iv) allowing the partially covered coated cheese to ripen, wherein the block-shaped cheese comprises a top face, a bottom face and four faces that form the circumference of the block-shaped cheese, and wherein in step (iii) at least all vertices and the four edges that connect the top face and bottom face of the block-shaped coated cheese are covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material while leaving the top face and bottom face largely uncovered.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein in step (iii) the two oppositely positioned largest faces of the four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein step (iii) is carried out at least 2 weeks after step (ii).

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the water-impermeable material is wax.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein covering with liquid wax in step (iii) is performed by successively dipping those parts of the block-shaped coated cheese to be covered with a layer of wax in a bath of liquid wax and allowing the wax to dry.

6. A naturally ripened, block-shaped cheese of the hard or semi-hard type comprising a water-permeable coating applied onto the entire surface of the cheese and a water-impermeable material applied onto the water-permeable coating, wherein at least all vertices and the four edges that connect the top face and bottom face of the block-shaped coated cheese are covered with a layer of the water-impermeable material while leaving the bottom face and top face of the block-shaped coated cheese largely uncovered.

7. Cheese according to claim 6, wherein the two oppositely positioned largest faces of the four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped coated cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

8. Cheese according to claim 6, wherein the cheese is a low fat cheese.

9. Cheese according to claim 6, wherein the cheese is a full fat cheese.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein in step (iii) all four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein step (iii) is carried out at least 4 weeks after step (ii).

12. Cheese according to claim 6, wherein all four faces that together form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped coated cheese, including all vertices and edges positioned therein, are entirely covered with the layer of the water-impermeable material.

13. Cheese according to claim 6, wherein the cheese is a 30+-cheese made from skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.

14. Cheese according to claim 6, wherein the cheese is a 48+-cheese.

Description

LEGEND TO THE FIGURES

[0034] FIG. 1: Schematic representation of a block-shaped cheese indicating all vertices, edges and faces.

[0035] FIG. 2: Schematic representation of a block-shaped cheese with a layer of water-impermeable material at the vertices and edges connecting top and bottom layer.

[0036] FIG. 3: Schematic representation of a block-shaped cheese with a layer of water-impermeable material at the faces that form the circumferential surface of the block-shaped cheese.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0037] Following brining a block-shaped cheeses of the Gouda 48+type (dimensions: 50 cm×30 cm×10 cm) were placed on a storage shelf in a ripening cell that was kept at about 13 ° C. (relative humidity approximately 80%). The uncovered faces of the block were provided with a conventional thin layer of water-permeable polyvinyl-acetate (PVA) cheese coating. Every 3 to 4 days the cheese block was turned and following such turning all faces exposed to air were covered with a further thin layer of PVA coating. After 14 days of ripening the cheese block was subsequently provided with a layer of a water impermeable formulated cheese wax based on acetoglycerides (Paradip Nowax®) on the four faces that formed the circumferential surface of the block (i.e. the faces of 10 cm×30 cm and of 10 cm×50 cm, including the edges and vertices).

[0038] At the age of 4 weeks one cheese block was processed into pre-packaged, rindless slices and pre-packaged into smaller blocks. The same procedure was repeated with the other cheese blocks at the ages of respectively 8, 16, 24 and 34 weeks. When compared with Gouda 48+cheese blocks from the same production round which were not provided with a wax layer (reference cheese blocks), the cheese blocks with the wax layer exhibited a significantly thinner dry and dark colored zone at the circumferential faces of the block, indicating less evaporation of water from the cheese during ripening. Moisture content of the wax coated cheese blocks was also significantly higher than in the reference cheese blocks.

Example 2

[0039] The procedure of Example 1 was repeated, but this time with 30+cheese blocks (Milner) of the same dimensions.

[0040] In this case after two dipping rounds approximately 110 grams of Paradip Nowax® wax was applied in total onto the circumferential faces of each cheese block.

[0041] The cheese blocks with the wax layer exhibited a significantly thinner dry and dark colored zone at the circumferential faces of the block than rthe reference cheese blocks without the wax layer, indicating less evaporation of water from the cheese during ripening. Moisture content of the wax coated cheese blocks was also significantly higher than in the reference cheese blocks.

Example 3

[0042] Block-shaped cheeses of the Gouda 48+type (dimensions: 50 cm×30 cm×10 cm) were prepared and allowed to ripen for 14 days in the same way as described in Example 1.

[0043] Following these 14 days of ripening the 4 edges connecting top and bottom face, including the 8 vertices, of each cheese block (as illustrated schematically by FIG. 2) were successively dipped into the hot Paradip Nowax® wax using a robotic arm programmed to perform this dipping operation. This procedure was repeated once, so that each vertex was dipped twice in the hot wax. In total an amount of about 20 grams of Paradip Nowax® wax was applied on each cheese block.

[0044] Following ripening according to the procedure described in Example 1, the cheese blocks with the wax-covered vertices showed significantly less dry and dark zones in the corners at the vertices, when cut into slices, thus leading to less cutting losses.

Example 4

[0045] The procedure of Example 3 was repeated, but this time with 30+cheese blocks (Milner) of the same dimensions.

[0046] In this case after two dipping rounds approximately 21 grams of Paradip Nowax® wax was applied in total onto the vertices of each cheese block.

[0047] Results were similar as for the Gouda 48+cheese blocks of Example 3.