Understanding cheese as a versatile ingredient for the food industry

Topics of the Conference

·                 Uses of cheese and cheese ingredients

·                 Where does cheese come from

– where do milk components como from

– the assembly and secretion of the casein micelles

– the milk protein system and the casein micelles

– the milk coagulation and the origino f the curd (cheese)

·                 The basic aspects os cheese making controlling moisture & calcium content and pH

– pH and calcium content of some natural cheeses

– microstructure and texture of some cheeses

·                 The ripening of cheese

·                 Texture of cheese and basics of cheese rheology

·                 Descriptive terms of cheese texture

·                 Funcionality of proteins and cheese

·                 The pasta filata as example of a versatile cheese (ingredient)

·                 Conclusion

Conclusion

·                 Cheese can be used in a variety of forms, cooked or uncooked, assembled into formulate foods.

·                 Basic structure of cheese is the casein micelle and its content of minerals

·                 Cheese has mechanical properties and is a viscoelastic material. Cheese rheology (elastic and viscous moduli, loss tanget, etc.) allows to characterize the cheese ingredient.

·                  Sensory atributes can be defined by hand terms, byte terms and chewdown terms.

·                 The utilization of cheese as an ingredient dependens on its functionality.

·                 The functionality of cheese is primarily determined by the cheesemaking process, the degree of protein and fat concentration (moisture expulsion), casein and wheu protein content, the pH and acid development which dictates the mineral content and finally by the ripening (proteolysis, lypolisis) of the cheese. In other words, by the microstructure resulting from the cheesemaking process.

·                 Basic functional properties expected from cheese are melting and elasticity, color and (undesired) oiling-off. Fat emulsification and protein status play a key role in both, unheated and heated cheese utilization.

[1] WOLFSCHOON-POMBO, A. F. Compreensão do queijo como ingrediente versátil na indústria de alimentos. Anais... XXV Congresso Nacional de Laticínios, p. 1-14,.