IDM | Technology/IT
80 batches of Gouda cheese, the standard deviation had dropped
from 0.6 to 0.5% moisture. If the requirement is for more than 90%
of cheeses to meet the maximum moisture level of 42.5%, this reduces
the footprint of the cheese by 0.2% (twice the difference in
standard deviation). In relation to cheese production, this constitutes
a footprint reduction of more than 2%.
• Reduced cutting losses – The texture of cheese becomes smoother
with the new rennet. Furthermore, the moisture distribution
in the cheese is more consistent, reducing rind losses for pre-cut
cheese. Various industrial cheese production processes show that
this reduces cutting losses by an average of 15%. A conservative
estimate is that these losses are now 2%. If these are lowered by
15%, this will reduce the cheese production footprint by 3.5%.
Overall, the use of a new rennet will yield a substantial footprint reduction
of almost 12%. Dairy companies have set themselves the target to reduce
the footprint of dairy processes by 20% in 2020. The use of this new rennet
already achieves a large part of the target for cheese production.
Modification of process management
The use of a new rennet requires a minor modification of the process.
The new dosage has to be adjusted to suit the rest of the cheese
process and parameters will have to be modified. The whey composition
will also change, including less curd dust and reduced amounts of
protein decomposition products.
Collaboration in the chain is essential
The results of the study show how important it is to collaborate
in the chain to achieve sustainability targets. A cheese manufacturer
focuses on the production plant: How can I save even more
energy? How can I fine-tune my processes even more? In this
way, a relatively large amount of effort is put in to achieve the
26 · 4-5 2017 | international-dairy.com
Cheese process
Cheese is a concentration of milk (about 10x) and consists of
a milk protein (casein) matrix containing fat, salt, minerals and
water. Casein are spherical micelles with a diameter of 20 to 200
nanometers (nm) and are made up of different types of casein.
Research has shown that kappa-casein can be considered as the
protective colloid of the casein micelle. After adding chymosin
(rennet) to the milk, the casein micelles quickly lose their stability
and form a gel under the influence of calcium ions. The
coagulation of the milk is initiated with the specific enzymatic
effect on the kappa-casein at the surface of the micelle. The
gel is then cut and divided into whey and curd-particles. Specific
bacteria (starter cultures) are added to the milk to ferment
the lactose. The release of whey is promoted and the whey is
separated from the curd. The curd particles are transferred to
cheese molds and, after pressing and salting, the cheese is matured
until the desired taste is obtained.
footprint reduction percentage. The composition of a rennet falls
outside the scope of a cheese production plant, even though substantial
sustainability gains appear to be possible there.
References
1. P. Valk et al., Optimization of cheese preparation with (big)
data analysis. VMT 2016
2. A. Flysjö & A.K. Modin-Edman, How to use LCA in a company context
– the case of a dairy cooperative. In: Proc. 9th International
Conference on Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-Food Sector. 2014
Manufacturer of Mozzarella cheese making equipment acquired
Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak has acquired Johnson Industries International,
a company specialising in the design, development and
manufacture of equipment and lines to produce mozzarella
cheese. The company also manufactures a range of cheese
cutting, shredding and brining equipment. These additions
broaden Tetra Pak’s wide-ranging cheese technology portfolio
and strengthen its position as a leading global provider of
cheese manufacturing solutions.
Based in Wisconsin, U.S., Johnson Industries International,
is one of North America’s principal suppliers to the highquality,
high-volume segment of mozzarella cheese manufacturing.
Johnson Industries International will remain in its current
location and will continue to focus on its core business.
tetrapak.com (photo: Tetra Pak)