Influence of cheese-making recipes on the composition and characteristics of Camembert-type cheese.

Discipline: cheese; Key words: mould-ripened cheese, stabilized cheese, shelf-life. 

Some cheeses, including Camembert and related varieties, can be produced by different processes that vary in milk pre-acidification, cutting, curd handling and ripening.  Modification of these creates distinct cheeses such as lactic curd, stabilized curd and hybrids of the two. The objective of the study by Dr D. Batty and colleagues reported below, was to determine the influence of five Camembert-type cheese recipes on   composition and characteristics during ripening. They hypothesized that the five common recipes will produce Camembert-type cheeses that differ in composition and rate of ripening as indicated by reduction in firmness and stability of the cheese paste. The goal of the study was to provide recipe information and Camembert-type cheese characteristics of each variant to assist artisan cheese makers to achieve optimum quality and extend shelf-life as appropriate for their distribution channels. The authors published their results in the Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 102 of 2019, page 164 to 176, under the title: Influence of cheese-making recipes on the composition and characteristics of Camembert-type cheese.

Five varieties of Camembert-type cheese were produced: (1) lactic curd, (2) sweet curd, (3) washed curd, (4) solubilized curd, and (5) stabilized curd. During the mould growth phase, cheeses were aged at 13°C for 10 days and 7°C from day 11 until day 50. Key quality metrics, including texture development, pH (centre and surface) and colour were monitored throughout shelf-life. By evaluating composition at day 5 in terms of fat, protein, moisture, salt and minerals, cheeses could be grouped into three categories: (1) lactic curd, (2) sweet and washed curd, and (3) solubilized and stabilized curd.

The lactic curd and stabilized curd were consistently the most different varieties for composition and quality metrics. The moisture content of varieties ranged from 53.2 to 58.0%, Ca ranged from 0.23 to 0.45% and P from 0.21 to 0.40%. All varieties followed the expected pH evolution on the rind and in the paste with the pH of the rind reaching 7 by day 10, and the paste pH reaching 7 between days 35 and 50. The displacement of the paste (distance travelled upon cutting) for the lactic curd was the greatest among the five varieties, reaching an average of 27 ± 1.9 mm (mean ± standard error) after 50 days of ripening and 60 minutes of flow time. The stabilized curd on the other hand travelled the shortest distance, reaching an average of 4 ± 0.4 mm at the same time point. Browning, considered a defect in mould-ripened cheeses, was observed in all varieties, but was most substantial for lactic curd (lightness, L*, decreased from 87.2 to 68.6). Based on these quality metrics the shelf-life of these recipes was estimated, showing the lactic curd having the shortest and the stabilized curd the longest shelf-life.

This study demonstrated significant differences in product composition as well as in pH changes, texture/ cheese body and colour development during ripening of the five variants. This provides a framework of different procedures that can be used to make Camembert-type cheese, and the effect these recipe variants will have on the quality and shelf life of the cheese. By understanding how different recipes influence cheese composition will assist cheese-makers in controlling the final product quality and allow them to manufacture cheese that will meet the desired expectations of the consumer and requirements for their distribution networks.