At FFCE as a top f&b consultant and cheese manufacturing consultancy provider, we provide complete turn-key solutions to ensure you get only the best cheese in line with consumers’ diverse demands. Cheese making is tasking, demanding consistent accuracy from the stage of choice of milk to maturation. Our vision is to help you create specialty cheeses that are loved for their taste, feel, and texture.

Our Technological Support covers milk coagulation, curd cutting and whey drainage which are fundamental to creating cheese structure. We also offer our Cheese Process Optimization to make sure that curd handling and pressing are done painstakingly to produce a quality product.

Therefore under Regulatory Compliance & Documentation Service, we assist in seeing to it that your cheese complies with all the safety requirements, especially the microbial safety and aging specifications. We also help in Licensing and Permitting Assistance Documentation, Preparation and Management and Import and Export Compliance. 

What is Cheese Processing?

Cheese production is the process of turning milk into a cheese solid form through a series of standard procedures. It starts with the use of high-quality milk to fetch in the market and then passes it through the pasteurization process. Subsequent to that, coagulants such as rennet are added to the milk causing it to set into curd. These curds are cut to release whey, the curd is heated and stirred until it attains the firmness as required.

Then through the process of coagulation, the curd is scooped up & drained, then it is made into a form of cheese and the moisture is expelled. Finally, the cheese is also seasoned through a process called brining or dry salting to increase the flavor of the product. The aging period varies with types of cheese; it runs for several hours or in some cases as many days as it takes for the cheese to get its typical taste and consistency.

During and after walking, there are standard flow intensities, temperature, and humidity to consider in order to achieve the right texture and to avoid spoiling. By watching each step starting from the choice of milk until the moment when the cheese goes to maturity consumers will be satisfied with the quality of taste as well as the textural properties of the final product.

Technologies and Process Used

Milk Preparation

  • Process: The raw milk is usually standardized to the required fat and protein level.
  • Equipment: It is recommended that current and future units and pasteurizers be set with standard parameters or specifications.
  • Temperature: Low temperatures – pasteurization temperatures are 72-75°C (161-167°F).
  • Objective: For the purpose of safeguarding the quality of milk and for obtaining uniformity in the process of preparation of cheese.
  • Coagulation
  • Process: In the case of cheese milk is firstly coagulated, using rennet or an acid and separated into two layers, which are curd and whey.
  • Equipment: Cheese vats.
  • Temperature: 30-40°C (86-104°F).
  • Objective: In order to structure a gel-like form so the curds can simply be cut.

Curd Processing

  • Cutting: Curd is then cut to encourage the release of whey so that the surface area exposed for the later process is expanded.
  • Equipment: Curd knives or wire cutters.
  • Objective: To promote whey expulsion and formation of the curd.
  • Cooking: To get the desired texture and to expel out more Whey, the curd is heated.
  • Temperature: 38-55°C (100-131°F).
  • Objective: In firming the curds and to control the texture of the cheese that you would like to produce.
  • Stirring and Draining: During cheese-making whey is on the other hand separated whereas the curd is constantly stirred to avoid aggregation.
  • Equipment: Suctioning tables or bowl stirrers.
  • Objective: Thus to make sure that an even and constant shedding to form a curd tissue.

Cheddaring

  • Process: The curd is piled, stirred, then heaped up to throw out more whey, so that it should develop the right sort of texture.
  • Equipment: Cheddaring tables.
  • Temperature: Room temperature.
  • Objective: Originally, to create something as flavorful and textured as cheddar cheese.
  • Milling
  • Process: After that, the curd is cut into small pieces that will help it to be salty.
  • Equipment: Curder mills.
  • Objective: The purpose of stacking was as follows To distribute salt evenly over the cheese To prepare curds with the right size and viscosity in order to press them.

Salting

  • Process: This is mainly for taste, preservation of the curd and production of the right texture.
  • Methods: Dry salting or brining.
  • Objective: For intensification of taste and improvement of storage conditions for the cheese.
  • Pressing
  • Process: Cheese curds are left to final shape and also helped to remove any form of whey that is remaining.
  • Equipment: Cheese presses.
  • Objective: In order to create the right density and elasticity of the resulting mass.
  • Ripening (Aging)
  • Process: Cheese is ripened under conditions out of control to facilitate the flavor and texture of the cheese.
  • Environment: The parameters that cause specific humidity and temperature.
  • Objective: To enhance and outline the distinctive features of each kind of cheese.

Cooling and Packaging

  • Process: Cheese is therefore cooled and packed to ensure it is fresh and has a longer shelf life after being sold to customer.
  • Equipment: Cooling appliances and packaging equipment.
  • Objective: The following are some of the reasons in order to avoid contamination and maintain good quality of the cheese.

Summary of Cheese Processing

  • Milk Preparation: Concentration of gas and standardizers/pasteurizers, between 72- 75°C.
  • Coagulation: Cheese vats, 30-40°C.
  • Curd Processing: Slicing and chopping, boiling and simmering, mixing and straining, 38-55°F.
  • Cheddaring: Laying of cheddar tables, Ambient temperature.
  • Milling: Curder mills.
  • Salting: Dry salting or brining.
  • Pressing: Cheese presses.
  • Ripening: Controlled environment.
  • Cooling and Packaging: Sterile, airtight containers.

Cheese Available in the Indian Market

  • Paneer: The young cheese that is mostly consumed in Indian dishes.
  • Cheddar: Often used for its pointed taste and soft core.
  • Mozzarella: usually dependabe, used in pizzas.
  • Processed Cheese: For a homogenized and creamy product, a combination of different varieties of cheese.
  • Amul Cheese: This is a well known company producing different kind of cheese products.
  • Gouda: Humble, yellow colour strong-smelling food product which is similar to a soft creamy curd.
  • Brie: Soft cheese that has a pasty texture inside and a white coating on the outside.

Technologies for Cheese Making

  • Ultrafiltration: The product that results from the concentration of milk proteins and fats before cheese making.
  • Microfiltration: Kills bacteria and spores in milk eliminating the risk of spoilage and enhancing milk quality.
  • Automated Cheese Vats: Promoting the right coagulant addition and the correct timing of curd cutting.
  • Advanced Pressing Systems: Press with equal force in order to achieve an even surface.
  • Environmental Control Systems: Ensure that the setting in which cheese is matured is as perfect as feasible