Building cheese texture and taste separately for design-on-demand and short supply

Abstract

Combined steps, such as draining and acidification, as well as ripening downtime still represent bottlenecks during cheese making. Indeed, they negatively affect the control of process efficiency, the cheese weight range, the quality of by-products and the balance between supply and demand. In this work, an innovative process was proposed and validated on a semi-industrial scale in order to manufacture cheese products without ripening, albeit on a large range of texture and taste mimicking fresh to pressed type cheeses. On the one hand, draining and acidification steps were uncoupled by using membrane filtration and centrifugation to fractionate milk constituents, and then by reconstructing a controlled texture matrix with regard to protein / fat ratio, denaturation rate of whey proteins, mineralization and amount of available lactose.Different aromatic matrices were produced in parallel by growing Yarrovia lipolytica, Propionibacterium freudenreichii, a mixture of Lactococcus lactis / cremoris / diacetylactis, or Hafnia alvéi in controlled environmental conditions. In less than four days, aromatic sulfur, ketone, acidic and aldehyde molecules were produced at concentration similar to that of a ripened curd. Finally, the texture and aromatic matrices were assembled in a ratio 90:10, and then textured through pH and temperature adjustment, NaCl, rennet or texturing agent addition. Results showed it was possible to obtain products with firmness varying from that of a spread cheese to that of a semi hard type cheese, and with aroma mimicking Saint Paulin as well as Cheddar depending on the quantities and proportions of added aromatic molecules.This eco-efficient and patented process makes it possible to control each step independently, to reduce significantly the inputs, to obtain standardized by-products and consequently to limit production costs. It is possible with the same equipment to produce from day to day and on demand any types of flavored and textured cheeses