Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-nwzlb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T10:46:44.967Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Fat oxidation in Cheddar cheese

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2009

W. Riddet
Affiliation:
The Dairy Research Institute (N.Z.), Palmerston North, New Zealand
H. R. Whitehead
Affiliation:
The Dairy Research Institute (N.Z.), Palmerston North, New Zealand
P. S. Robertson
Affiliation:
The Dairy Research Institute (N.Z.), Palmerston North, New Zealand
W. L. Harkness
Affiliation:
The Dairy Research Institute (N.Z.), Palmerston North, New Zealand

Summary

Fat and carotene oxidation in Cheddar cheese may give rise to bleached areas surrounding slits in the cheese and to a tallowy flavour. It was shown that direct contact of the fat with atmospheric oxygen was essential for oxidation to occur, and examination of cheeses showed that slits running from the rind into the interior provided this contact. Factors enhancing slit formation such as gas production by bacteria and mechanical shock to the cheese were shown to increase the incidence of tallowy discoloration. Factors which tended to exclude oxygen such as waxing the cheese surface, wrapping the cheese in plastic film or sealing in a tin were shown to reduce the incidence of the fault or eliminate it.

Accelerating factors were shown to be low cheese storage temperature, excess moisture in the cheese and possibly low salt content. Various factors which may be relevant to a commercial cure for discoloration are also discussed.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 1961

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Barnicoat, C. R. (1937). J. Dairy Res. 8, 53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bishop, F. (1961). J. Dairy Res. 28, 21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolby, R. M. (1959). J. Dairy Res. 26, 281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pont, E. G. & Rogers, W. P. (1961). J. Dairy Res. 28, 151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rammell, C. G. (1961). J. Dairy Res. 28, 33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar