Fundamentals of Cheese Science

Patrick F. Fox, PhD5 DSc

Professor, Food Chemistry
Food Science and Technology
University College, Cork
Cork, Ireland

Timothy P. Guinee, PhD

Senior Research Officer
Dairy Products Research Centre
Teagasc
Cork, Ireland

Timothy M. Cogan, PhD

Senior Principal Research Officer
Dairy Products Research Centre
Teagasc
Visiting Professor
University College, Cork
Cork, Ireland

Paul L. H. McSweeney, PhD

Statutory Lecturer, Food Chemistry
Food Science and Technology
University College, Cork
Cork, Ireland

AN ASPEN PUBLICATION
Aspen Publishers, Inc.
Gaithersburg, Maryland
2000
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fundamentals of Cheese Science

Patrick F. Fox. . . [etal.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8342-1260-9
!.Cheese. I. Fox, P.F.
SF271.F862000
637'.3—dc21
99-053386

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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-053386
ISBN: 0-8342-1260-9
Printed in the United States of America

12345
 Preface
Cheese, which has been produced for about
5,000 years, is one of the classical fabricated
foods in the human diet. During its long history,
the volume and diversity of cheese production
have increased such that today annual produc-
tion is about 15 x 106 tonnes (representing about
35% of total world milk production) in at least
500 varieties. Cheese is one of our most complex
and dynamic food products, and its study in-
volves a wide range of disciplines, especially
analytical and physical chemistry, biochemistry,
microbiology, rheology, and sensory science.
Not surprisingly, a large and diverse literature
on the science and technology of cheese has ac-
cumulated over the past 100 years. Like in the
case of the other great fermented foods, wine
and beer, the epicurean attributes of cheese at-
tract the attention of consumers and endow it
with a certain social status. Cheese is a highly
nutritious food with a very positive image. It is
the quintessential consumer-ready food, yet it is
one of the most flexible food ingredients. In
many respects, cheese is the ideal food: nutri-
tious, flexible in use and application, and senso-
rially appealing to a wide range of consumers.
Cheese has been the subject of a considerable
number of books, but most of these were written
with the general reader in mind (see "Suggested
Readings" at the end of Chapter 1). There are at
least three books on cheese technology, but the
scientific aspects of cheese have been less well
covered, the only exception being the two-vol-
ume set Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Micro-
biology, edited by P.P. Fox. That set, though, as-
sumes a substantial background knowledge on
the part of its readers.
Fundamentals of Cheese Science provides
comprehensive coverage of the scientific as-
pects of cheese, appropriate for anyone working
with cheese, from researchers and professionals
to undergraduate and graduate students in food
science and technology. The book assumes fa-
miliarity with biochemistry, microbiology, and
dairy chemistry, and it emphasizes fundamental
principles rather than technological aspects.
The book is divided into 23 chapters that deal
with the chemistry and microbiology of milk for
cheesemaking, starter cultures, coagulation of
milk by enzymes or by acidification, the micro-
biology and biochemistry of cheese ripening, the
flavor and rheology of cheese, processed cheese,
cheese as a food ingredient, public health and
nutritional aspects of cheese, and various meth-
ods used for the analysis of cheese. The book
contains copious references to other texts and
review articles, but references to the primary lit-
erature are kept to a minimum to facilitate easy
presentation.
Finally, the authors would like to express their
appreciation for the highly skilled and enthusi-
astic assistance of Ms. Anne Cahalane in the
preparation of the manuscript.