Cheddar Cheese Flavor. IV. Directed and Accelerated Ripening Process

Abstract

A process has been developed by which a liquid cheese product of characteristic Cheddar, Brick, or Romano flavor can be obtained from fresh curd in four or five days. The process appears to have industrial applications, and the products to have commercial uses. Basically, the process involves mixing two parts of 24-hr-old salted, unpressed Cheddar curd with one part of 5.2% sodium chloride solution and storage of the homogenous slurry at 30 C. The flavor of the untreated slurry becomes like that of mild Cheddar cheese. Addition of reduced glutathione (10–100 ppm) results in fuller Cheddar flavor which, upon prolonged storage, changes to Brick-type flavor. Addition of porcine lipase (100 ppm) and reduced glutathione yields a Romano-type flavor. Addition of reduced glutathione to the slurries results in increased formation of free C4 and longer-chain fatty acids and soluble protein, in particular, and in accelerated bacterial growth. The process has been applied equally successfully to curd manufactured from both grade A and manufacturing grade milk. Maximum control over the flavor quality of the liquid cheese was obtained with curd manufactured from pasteurized milk. © 1967, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.