Olivia Cremeans

Dr. Rowan

FABE 3510

February 27, 2017

Cheese Lab Assignment

During the process of making cheese, rennet is most often added

for the milk to separate into curds and whey. Rennet is a blend of

several enzymes found in baby mammals stomachs. For the baby

mammal, rennet helps process the mothers milk. The active enzyme

in rennet is called chymosin, but lipase and pepsin are also part of the

blend. Chymosin splits the casein protein of milk at a specific point

and thereby effects clotting: casein clumps together to form curd and

separates from the watery whey. (Chymosin) The process of creating

cheese begins with this step. The optimal temperature for chymosin is

45C and a pH of 6.6. Rather than slaughter calves for the components

of rennet, an alternative is for it to be produced by microorganisms,

mainly fungi. (Microbial)

Lipase is important in cheese making for flavor. The active

lipase enzyme will produce a specific ratio of free fatty acids as a result

of milkfat lipolysis when added directly to milk, affecting aroma and

flavor of cheese. (Get Culture) The optimal temperature and pH for

lipase are 38C and 4, respectively. (Introduction)

 Pepsin is similar to chymosin, as it is a protein-digesting enzyme.

After the protein is broken down into peptides, clotting begins,

separating the curds from the whey. Pepsin can be used in place of

chymosin, because their jobs are so similar. The optimal temperature

and pH for pepsin are around 40C and 1.5-2, respectively.

(Introduction) It can be noticed that each of the enzymes optimal

temperatures are roughly the same because they are found inside of

the body. (Digestion)

Microbes are the final, and some would say, most important step

in cheese making. Microbes are the reason for the various types of

cheese that our world enjoys. Propionic acid bacteria are used as a

microbe in cheese making for its ability to to digest acetic acid and

convert it to sharp, sweaty-smelling propionic acid and carbon dioxide.

(Lahne) Carbon dioxide supplies the some types of cheese with

holes. This microbe is mainly used for Swiss and emmental cheese to

give it a sharp and complex flavor.

Blue molds are found in hundreds of types of blue cheese. There

are two species of blue mold, P. roqueforti and P. glaucum, that are

capable of growing in remarkably low-oxygen environments, which

makes them perfectly suited for the small cracks in the interior of a

ripening cheese. (Lahne) This microbe is mainly used for blue

cheeses, Gorgonzola, and it is sometimes grown on the surface of goat

cheeses.
 Smear bacteria is also used as a microbe in cheese making. The

bacteria is known as Brevibacter linens, cannot survive in the inside of

cheeses, where the environment is without oxygen and acidic. They

need a moist environment to grow, so when used, the surface of the

cheese must be wiped or washed, leading to the name smear

cheeses. The microbe does a great job of breaking down proteins into

salty, stinky, strong tasting cheeses. This microbe is used to produce

Mnster, Limburger, and Epoisses cheeses. (Lahne)

Milk is made of mostly water (around 88%), lactose, proteins,

fats, minerals, and enzymes. These components in fresh milk are kept

in a suspension due to the nature of the casein particle (milks primary

protein) and these in turn trap the fat particles. This suspended particle

condition will later be altered in cheese making via rennet, acidity, and

heat. (All) The curd is formed from the liquid milk by the change in

casein structure. The whey is the by-product of forming cheese; the

leftover after the curd is taken out. While it is primarily water, it also

contains lactose, which makes it high in protein.

The purpose of adding salt and soaking cheese in salt solutions is

for flavor purposes and also for drawing out the excess moisture and

whey. The salt concentration in the brine is very important because too

much salt can cause a rind to form on the cheese that should be

without a rind. (Using) Salt is also a preservative, which helps prepare

the cheese for aging. Most types of salts will work for the brine, as long
as they are non-iodized. Iodized salt inhibits bacterial growth, which is

vital in cheese making. A natural, unbleached salt would be preferred,

to reduce the amount of chemicals in the cheese. (Salt)

Works Cited

"All About Milk.... at Cheesemaking.com." All About Milk.... at

Cheesemaking.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

"Chymosin." GMO COMPASS - Information on Genetically Modified

Organisms. N.p., 07 July 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

"Digestion." Digestion Site Wide Activity RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26

Feb. 2017.
"Get Culture." Supplier of Cheesemaking Supplies, Cheese

Cultures, Molds, Lipase, Rennet, Yogurt, Sour Cream, Buttermilk

and Fermented Milk Supplies : Get Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 26

Feb. 2017.
"Introduction to Enzymes." Effects of PH (Introduction to

Enzymes). N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

Lahne, Jake. "Serious Cheese: Know Your Microbes." Serious Eats.

N.p., 09 Feb. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

 "Microbial Production of Recombinant Chymosin." MicrobeWiki.

N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

"Salt In Cheesemaking." Cultures for Health Salt In

Cheesemaking Comments. N.p., 02 May 2016. Web. 27 Feb.

2017.
"Using Brine In Cheese Making." Curd-Nerd. N.p., n.d. Web. 27

Feb. 2017.