DSM claims higher heat, bigger yield cheese advance

11-Sep-2008 - Last updated on 12-Sep-2008 at 12:09 GMT

The manufacturer of a new peptide-based processing aid for cheese production claims its product can provide improved yields for dairy groups without compromising product texture or quality.

DSM says that the launch of MaxiCurd, a range of granulated protein hydrolysates, can offer a clean label alternative to existing heating methods that protects curds during heat treatment of milk and increase product amount by up to four per cent.

Rutger van Rooijen, new business development manager at DSM, told DairyReporter.com that high heat treatment of cheese milk before renneting has been a common practice of boasting product yield.

However, van Rooijen added that the level heat treatment has been limited both by fears over compromising cheese formation and psychological aversion to heating milk beyond more commonly used levels. Milk heating extends the risk of failure during renneting, instead creating a weak gel and loss of fines that can compromise final product yields.

Whey protection

With cheese manufacturers, like the wider dairy industry, suffering from the impact of higher milk prices over the last year, maximizing raw material use has become a major focus for companies.

According to Rooijen, through the small compounds contained in Maxicurd, peptides stabilise the physical bonds between whey proteins, strengthening the structural network of the curd.

“The unique peptide combination in MaxiCurd gives the required stability of the formed whey protein-casein-complex and works just as any natural peptide-protein binding, strengthening cheese functionality and process tolerance,” he stated.

Heat and taste limits

DSM claimed that so far from its testing, Maxicurd had managed to improve yields from milk heated up to 85 degrees Celsius. Van Rooijen added that that company had not yet gone to 90 degrees Celsius though, due in part, to a psychological acceptance among producers of high temperature heating of milk.

The company said that its initial development for the product has been tested on cheeses that are not made for ripening, such as pasta filata products like mozzarella, though developments were underway for other varieties.

“We decided to focus at first on pasta filata cheese, which have almost no ripening time, as Maxicurd may affect flavour form this process,” stated van Rooijen.

He added that the ripening process was not as important in higher yield cheese products, but that the company was confident that it was on track to extend the use Maxicurd to a wider number of goods.

“We continue to work on other cheeses and the results are promising,” said van Rooijen. “We expect further launches to be made.”

DSM claimed that Maxicurd was potentially a major development for all types of cheese manufacturing.

“The peace of mind [for manufacturers is] that they can incorporate high heat treated milk in their process to increase cheese yields without compromising on the desired properties important for this application, such as taste, meltability, stretchability, and colour,” the group claimed.

“In addition, cheese made with MaxiCurd has a great flavour profile and, most importantly, there is more of it.”

Availability

To ensure global demand for the product can be met, DSM said that it would be releasing Maxicurd through a gradual international rollout. This will entail an immediate release in markets like the US and some European countries like Germany, with Australia and South America expected to follow by next year.