Influence of cryogenic cooling of cheese curd on yield and quality of semi-hard cheeses.

摘要

The influence of cryogenic cooling of cheese curd on yield and quality of semihard cheese (Trappist type) was studied. During 3 successive batches of cheesemaking, the curd at moulding was separated into 2 aliquots: the 1st was pressed directly (control cheese) while the 2nd was cooled quickly in a cryogenic cabinet prior to pressing (trial cheese). The cryogenic cooling of the curd slightly delayed acidification and significantly reduced syneresis. The increase in cheese yield (+4.8% at brining and +3.8% at the end of ripening) was attributed solely to the increase in moisture retention. The sensory characteristics of the ripened cheeses were similar for both control and trial cheese samples. The slight modifications in the melting texture found and the acidic flavour were attributed to a post-acidification phenomenon that could be easily corrected using classical operating parameters. Although stretchability was slightly increased in trial cheese samples, the other functional properties measured were similar to those of the control cheese. Moreover, a comparison of 2 experiments that were conducted with different cooling rates suggests that optimization of the cryogenic parameters could lead to a more marked increase in cheese yield, due to higher moisture retention, and better recovery of milk components.