Keeping it clean

摘要

The clean label trend has been gaining momentum in the food industry over the last few years. And the cheese industry is no exception. The effort to appeal to consumers who are looking for shorter and more familiar ingredient lists has led to changes in product formulation that emphasise fewer artificial additives, including preservatives, in favour of more natural, recognisable ingredients, according to Gert van den Hoven, cheese expert at DSM Food Beverage."This has led to widely used food preservatives such as benzoates falling out of favour with manufacturers and consumers alike. However, benzoates traditionally played an important role in cheese making by inhibiting the growth of mould, yeast and some bacteria to extend the shelf life of cheeses. This means a preservative-free alternative is needed," van den Hoven notes."Enzymes have long been used in cheese manufacturing for a variety of purposes - including coagulation - but are less frequently used to enhance cheese ripening. Historically, ripening enzymes caused significant processing, flavour or structural side-effects in both the cheese and the whey. However, preservative-free solutions like DSM's Accelerzyme CPG changes that by accelerating cheese ripening without disturbing the cheese structure while also providing benefits for flavour development," she adds.In sensory trials, several cheese types developed with Accelerzyme CPG, including Cheddar, Gouda, Raclette and Tilsiter, had a more mature cheese flavour and less bitterness. "This is particularly beneficial for cheese types that require significant aging time as storing cheeses in suitable ripening conditions can be both costly and energy intensive," van den Hoven observes.