CHEESE

MOZZARELLA CHEESE

Introduction
 Mozzarella cheese was originally manufactured from high fat buffalo milk in the Battipaglia
region of Italy, but it is now made all over Italy, in other European countries and USA from cow
milk.

 It belongs to the cheese classified as ‘pasta filata‘ which involves the principle of skillfully
stretching the curd in hot water to get a smooth texture and grain in cheese.

 It is a soft, white unripened cheese which may be consumed shortly after manufacture.

 Its melting and stretching characteristics are highly appreciated in the manufacture of Pizza where
it is a key ingredient.

 The method of manufacture of Mozzarella cheese, irrespective of the milk system from which it is
made involves (1) optimum addition of starter culture or proper acidification of milk, (2)
renneting of milk, (3) cutting the curd at the right firmness, (4) stirring and cooking the curd
particles to the correct consistency and (5) proper cheddaring, stretching and salting of curd for
 Chemistry of ‘stretch’ of Mozzarella Cheese

 In the calcium rich environment of milk, the casein precipitates out of milk as di-calcium
paracaseinate, entrapping fat, insoluble minerals and some sugar.
 At a pH between 5.2-5.4, resulting from the development (or direct introduction) of acid, some of the
calcium of the dicalcium paracaseinate gets dissolved, leading to the formation of monocalcium
paracaseinate.
 This when heated to 54°C or higher becomes smooth, pliable and stringy and retains fat.
 If acidification is excessive, generally below pH 5.2, monocalcium paracaseinate will continue to lose
calcium and form paracasein, which may stretch, but has difficulty in retaining fat.
 The curd generally does not stretch above pH 5.6.
Cheese types Moisture% Fat%

Mozzeralla Max 60 Min 35

Mozeralla(regular) 52-60 Min.45

Mozeralla(part skim) 52-60 30-45

Mozeralla (low moisture) 45-52 Min.45

Mozeralla (low moisture,part 45-52 30-45

skim)
TRADITIONAL METHOD
DIRECT ACID METHOD
Advantages of the Direct Acidification Technique

1) Curtailed manufacturing time and expenses

2) Simplified technology due to elimination of propagation and maintenance of starter cultures

3) Starter failures due to bacteriophages and antimicrobial agents avoided

4) Less rennet required

5) Amenable to mechanization

Disadvantages

1) Slight reduction in yield of cheese

2) Bland flavour

An ideal Mozzarella cheese has a smooth surface with a perfect sheen, elastic, stringy body free from
mechanical openings.
 PROCESSED CHEESE

“Prcessed cheese” may be defined as a modified form of natural cheese prepared with the aid of heat, by
comminuting and blending one or more lots of cheese, except certain types such as cream, cottage cheese
etc; with water, salt, colour and emulsifier into a homogeneous plastic mass.

According to PFA Rules(1976)

Processed cheese referes to the product obtained by heating cheese with permitted emulsifiers and or
stabilizers ,namely citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium salts or orthophosphoric acid and polyphosphoric
acid with or with out added condiments and acidifying agents, viz; vinegar, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric
acid and phophorc acid.

Processed cheese may contain 4% anhydrous permitted emulsifiers and/or stabilizers provided that the
content of anhydrous inorganic salt in no case exceed 3%of the finished product.

It should not contain more than 47%moisture.

The milk fat content should not be less than 40%of the dry matter.

Processed cheese may contain 0.1% sorbic acid or its sodium ,potassium or calcium salts or 0.1%of
nicin.
Method of manufacture

Receiving raw cheese

Analysing

Selecting for blending

Tempering and cleaning

Quartering and grinding

Processing

Packaging

Cooling and storage

“Processed cheese spreads” means the product obtained by grinding, mixing,melting and
emulsifying one or more varieties of cheese with the aid of heat and emulsifying agents.
It may contain cream,butter,butter oil and other milk products subjected to maximum 5% lactose
content in the final product and edible common salt, vinegar, spices.condiments and
seasoning,natural carbohydrates sweetening agents namely sucrose,dextrose,corn syrup,corn syrup
solids,honey,maltose,malt syrup and hydrolysed lactose and food properly cooked or otherwise
prepared for flavouring and characterization of the product on dry weight basis and cultures of
harmless bacteria and enzymes.

Moisture:not more than 60%

Milk fat on dry basis: not less than 40%
MOLD REPINED CHEESES
 This is a fun category. Anybody who's seen the spidery blue veins of a ripe Roquefort or Stilton
cheese has wondered, where does that weird blue stuff come from? The answer, again, is mold.

 While soft-ripened cheeses like Brie are externally treated with mold, blue cheeses are inoculated
with mold internally.
 The particular strains of mold that make blue-streaked cheese include Penicillium roqueforti, named
for a mold common to caves in the region of Roquefort, France.

 Interestingly, the blue mold will only grow when exposed to air. When blue cheeses are first pressed
into molds, they have pristine white interiors. But at some point in the aging process, the
cheesemakers pierce the skin of the wheel, introducing air, which kick-starts the mold-growing
process.
 Blue cheeses have strong, salty, nutty flavors and include varieties like:

• Roquefort
• Stilton
• Gorgonzola
• Danish blue
There are three main categories of cheese in which the presence of mold is an important feature: soft-
ripened cheeses, washed-rind cheeses and blue cheeses.

Soft-ripened
Soft-ripened cheeses begin firm and rather chalky in texture, but are aged from the exterior inwards by
exposing them to mold. The mold may be a velvety bloom of P. camemberti that forms a flexible white
crust and contributes to the smooth, runny, or gooey textures and more intense flavors of these aged
cheeses. Brie and Camembert, the most famous of these cheeses, are made by allowing white mold to
grow on the outside of a soft cheese for a few days or weeks. Goat's milk cheeses are often treated in a
similar manner, sometimes with white molds and sometimes with blue.

Washed-rind
Washed-rind cheeses are soft in character and ripen inwards like those with white molds; however, they
are treated differently. Washed-rind cheeses are periodically cured in a solution of saltwater brine or
mold-bearing agents that may include beer, wine, brandy and spices, making their surfaces amenable to a
class of bacteria (Brevibacterium linens, the reddish-orange smear bacteria) that impart pungent odors
and distinctive flavors and produce a firm, flavorful rind around the cheese.Washed-rind cheeses can be
soft (Limburger), semi-hard, or hard (Appenzeller). The same bacteria can also have some effect on
cheeses that are simply ripened in humid conditions, like Camembert. The process requires regular
washings, particularly in the early stages of production, making it quite labor-intensive compared to
other methods of cheese production.
Blue
So-called blue cheese is created by inoculating a cheese with Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium
glaucum. This is done while the cheese is still in the form of loosely pressed curds, and may be further
enhanced by piercing a ripening block of cheese with skewers in an atmosphere in which the mold is
prevalent. The mold grows within the cheese as it ages. These cheeses have distinct blue veins, which
gives them their name and, often, assertive flavors. The molds range from pale green to dark blue, and
may be accompanied by white and crusty brown molds. Their texture can be soft or firm. Some of the
most renowned cheeses are of this type, each with its own distinctive color, flavor, texture and aroma.
They include Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton.