Milk Processing No. 6 - 2008

M.N. Kuznetsova,
Deputy Head of the Department for Flavorings Promotion in Drinks and the Dairy Industry

Today, the cheese merchandise available in Russia can satisfy the demands of any gastronome. However, one cannot but notice that approximately 40% of the processed cheeses offered in retail outlets are of foreign origin. Domestic cheese-industry enterprises can only compete with foreign manufacturers if their products meet the consumer's expectations. Usage of different food ingredients in the recipes enables a successful solution to the task.

Processed-cheese quality is primarily determined by its taste and consistence. If consistency is essentially affected by the apt choice of stabilization systems and cheese-melting salts, the taste is mainly determined by the recipe’s raw-stock composition. Striving for a reduction in end-product prime cost frequently results in the exclusion of expensive and scarcely-available rennet cheeses with high second-heating temperature from the recipes of individual processed-cheeses. This entails a reduction in the taste indices characteristic of the specific kind of processed-cheese. Application of food flavorings shaping a fuller taste bouquet enables the manufacture of processed-cheese with quality indices similar to those of traditional varieties at a considerably-reduced prime cost.

Correct selection of both the flavoring proper and the dosage thereof are equally critical for the successful application of flavorings. One needs to consider at which stage of the technological process it is most feasible to introduce the flavoring for maximum preservation of the preset organoleptic properties of the end product.

Chemical & Food Aromatic Plant LLC (St. Petersburg) offers Russian cheese-makers a wide palette of flavors allowing the manufacture of tasty processed products and creation of bright brands.

Reliable quality of the products is ensured by the quality-management system in place at the enterprise, which has been certified for conformity to the requirements of the international standard ISO 9001: 2000 by TŰV (Germany) since 2002.

The following ingredients are recommended for usage to manufacturers of sweet paste-like cheeses (processed-cheese group most popular with buyers):

• Vanilla group flavorings (traditional "pure" vanilla and vanilla with different savours such as cream, rum, spicy or caramel);
• Fruit and berry group flavorings, characteristically noted for the excellent combinability of the bouquet with a sweet cheese base (taste of sweet apricot, ripe melon, juicy apple or pear, tropical or citrus fruits, by way of alternative – the more "native" taste of cranberry, raspberry, wild strawberry, blackberry or wild berry mix, there is something to choose from);
• Dessert group flavorings (imparting characteristic nut, coffee or chocolate tastes to products).

The following gastronomic group flavorings are offered to the manufacturers of sliced (sausage) and paste-like processed cheeses:

• flavors of seasonings and spices (dill, basil, estragon, paprika, horseradish, garlic);
• tastes of dressings (mushrooms, mushrooms with sour cream or ketchup);
• seafood tastes (crab or salmon)

Usage of this group of flavorings not only guarantees to the manufacturer the original taste of the fabricated product but also imparts an attractive visual appearance to filler-containing processed-cheeses.

It is also worthy of note that usage of the milk and cream group flavorings during the production of processed cheeses from unripened rennet raw stock (such as during the production of Orbita processed cheese with fat content (in terms of solid substance) equal to 20 % and moisture content equal to 60 %) additionally promotes the taste bouquet improvement, enriching it with melted butter overtones or a "warm" creamy savour.

Processed cheese products where milk fat is substituted with vegetable fat in the composition have recently become widespread in the market. Complete or partial substitution of milk fat and milk protein allows to increase the production output and smooth away production seasonality due to more efficient usage of the available raw-stock resources as well as to reduce the product prime cost and expand the portfolio with account for healthy dietary requirements. The low-fat food fashion additionally initiates consumers' demand for processed-cheese products. Unfortunately, the inclusion of components of non-dairy origin into the recipe does not always have a positive effect on the processed-cheese product’s organoleptic indices, frequently causing quality problems.

Application of food flavorings in such a case enables the manufacture of tasty and highly-competitive products with the lowest costs possible, relying on available inexpensive raw-stock and traditional equipment.

During the production of processed-cheese products (sliced and sausage) where the weight fraction of fat in terms of dry substances is equal to 20-45 % or 50-60 %, with complete or partial (up to 70 %) replacement of milk fat with non-dairy fat, the milk and cream set flavorings virtually mask the non-dairy fat taste with their creamy savours, attenuating the slightly sour aftertaste typical of the base.

Expansion of the portfolio of processed cheese products manufactured by the enterprise may also be achieved through usage of food flavorings belonging to different taste and flavor sets, such as: vanilla and cream, cream and fruit, milk and vanilla.

It is advisable that food flavorings be introduced into the cheese mass at the end of the melting process:

• with sliced cheeses and cheese products – at 80 - 85 degrees centigrade;
• with paste-like and sweet cheeses and cheese products – at 85-90 degrees centigrade.

The duration of stirring without additional heating during the flavoring introduction must not exceed 2-3 min; after that, the hot product is to be delivered for packing.
The regimes specified exclude taste-character modification and maximally preserve the flavor.

Thus, subject to correct selection of the flavoring with account for its adaptation to the raw-stock and economic feasibility conditions, the production of processed cheeses and processed cheese products with application of the Plant's flavorings can be carried out using the standard equipment in place at every cheese factory.

By way of this article’s conclusion, our enterprise expresses sincere gratitude to the specialists of the processed-cheeses department of State Research Institution All-Russian Research Institute for Butter and Cheese Making (Uglich) for their having carried out experimental feeds and providing invaluable assistance in the development of recommendations on application of the liquid and powdered flavorings offered by the Plant in the production of processed-cheeses and processed-cheese products.