JP7728830B2 - Pasta filata cheese manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing pasta filata cheese.

Fresh pasta filata cheeses, such as mozzarella cheese, are popular for their refreshing flavor and chewy texture, and are widely enjoyed in Japan.

By the way, the production of pasta filata cheese involves a process in which cheese curds are kneaded in hot water, and the physical properties of the final product are greatly affected by the outflow of cheese curd solids during this process and the way in which moisture is absorbed into the cheese curds.

Currently, the stable production of final products with consistent physical properties relies heavily on the skilled intuition of manufacturing operators.

In order to eliminate variations in the physical properties of the final product, methods for improving the physical properties of the final product are known.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for improving the physical properties of pasta filata cheese, in which cheese curds are brought into contact with a texture modifier capable of binding to or adsorbing calcium when the cheese curds are stretched in hot water (Patent Document 1).
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a method in which no fat is added and no hot water is used in the kneading step.
The present inventors have also published a report on the effects of changes in the distribution of soluble and insoluble calcium in mozzarella cheese, and have found that the physical properties of mozzarella cheese can be adjusted by adjusting the pH of the raw milk and changing the distribution of calcium (Non-Patent Document 1).

WO 2004/095936 JP 2016-067319 A

R. MIZUNO, T. MATSUDA, J. A. LUCEY, and N. ICHIHASHI “Effects of changes in the distribution of soluble and insoluble calcium on Mozzarella cheese” Milchwissenschaft 64 (2) 2009

However, previous improvement methods had problems such as the pasta filata cheese not being soft enough or requiring special processes and equipment.

Furthermore, one of the characteristics of pasta filata cheeses, such as mozzarella, is their smooth appearance, and even if a cheese has an excellent texture, if it has a poor appearance it cannot be considered a product that meets consumer needs.

The present invention aims to provide a technology for producing fresh pasta filata cheese that has a soft texture and a smooth appearance.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors conducted extensive research into methods for producing pasta filata cheese. As a result, they discovered that by adjusting the pH of raw milk to within a specific range in advance, forming cheese blocks, and then immersing the cheese blocks in saline, it is possible to consistently produce pasta filata cheese with a soft texture and good appearance, and thus completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems,
a pH adjustment step of adjusting the pH of the raw material milk to 5.7 to 6.3;
a fermentation step of fermenting the raw material milk whose pH has been adjusted;
a curd preparation step in which rennet is added to the fermented milk after fermentation to form cheese curds;
a cheese block forming step of stretching and shaping the cheese curd to obtain a cheese block;
and a soaking step of soaking the cheese block in salt water.
According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to produce pasta filata cheese that has a soft texture and a smooth appearance.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the water syneresis rate of the pasta filler cheese after the immersion step is 20% by mass or less.
According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to produce pasta filata cheese that has a low rate of water separation during storage and that maintains its flavor and juiciness for a long period of time.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pH adjustment step is a step of adding an acid to raw milk.
By using such a process, the pH of the raw milk can be easily adjusted.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the acid is citric acid and/or lactic acid.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the citric acid and/or lactic acid is a 1 to 20% by mass aqueous solution of citric acid and/or a 1 to 20% by mass aqueous solution of lactic acid.
By adding the acid to the raw material milk in this manner, the pH of the raw material milk can be easily adjusted.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rennet is derived from a microorganism.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to produce pasta filata cheese that has a soft texture and a smooth appearance.
Furthermore, cheese produced by the production method of the present invention is even more juicy and melts in the mouth.

In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the classification of milk and dairy products and the measurement methods for manufacturing in products are based on the Ministerial Ordinance on the Compositional Standards of Milk and Dairy Products (hereinafter referred to as the "Milk, etc. Ministerial Ordinance").

In the present invention, "fresh-type" cheese refers to cheese that has been immersed in a liquid such as water or whey, without undergoing aging such as fermentation at a certain temperature and humidity, or cheese that has been vacuum-packed without undergoing such aging. Representative examples of fresh-type pasta filata cheese in the present invention include mozzarella cheese and string cheese.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention. Note that explanations of steps similar to those used in conventional fresh pasta filata cheese production methods and existing equipment used in producing such cheese will be simplified.

<1> Preparation of raw material milk The raw material milk (milk used as a raw material for cheese production) used in the production method of the present invention can be raw material milk derived from cows that is normally used to produce pasta filata cheese, and specifically, raw milk, cow's milk, and milk with adjusted ingredients can be used.

The fat content of the raw milk is not particularly limited, but is preferably 3.0 to 4.5% by mass, more preferably 3.3 to 4.2% by mass, even more preferably 3.5 to 4.0% by mass, and particularly preferably 3.6 to 3.8% by mass.

The raw milk is sterilized by a conventional method, for example, by the HTST method using a plate-type heat exchanger at 71 to 75°C for 15 seconds.
After heat sterilization, the raw milk is adjusted to a temperature of preferably 20 to 60°C, more preferably 25 to 55°C, even more preferably 30 to 50°C, and particularly preferably 35 to 45°C.

The present invention includes a pH adjustment step of adjusting the pH of the raw milk to 5.7 to 6.3.
The pH of raw material milk is usually 6.6 to 6.8. That is, the pH of the raw material milk is adjusted to 5.7 to 6.3 by lowering the pH of the raw material milk.

In the present invention, it is preferable to adjust the pH by adding an acid.
The acid is not particularly limited as long as it is an edible acid, and examples thereof include acetic acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, and metal salts thereof.
In the present invention, it is preferable to use citric acid and/or lactic acid.

In the present invention, it is preferable to add the citric acid and/or lactic acid in the form of an aqueous solution.
By preparing it as an aqueous solution, the addition becomes easy and the addition can be carried out uniformly without unevenness.

The aqueous solution is preferably added to the raw milk in a heated state, preferably at 20 to 60°C, more preferably at 25 to 55°C, even more preferably at 30 to 50°C, and especially preferably at 35 to 45°C.

As mentioned above, the raw milk is pasteurized and then cooled.
If the temperature of the raw milk is too high or too low due to the addition of an acid solution, it is necessary to adjust the temperature of the raw milk to the enzyme activity temperature of the starter, which is time-consuming. Moreover, excessive heating and cooling can lead to a deterioration in the quality of the final product.
By adding the aqueous acid solution to the raw material milk while adjusting the temperature within the above range, the pH can be adjusted without the raw material milk deviating significantly from the enzyme activity temperature.

The content of citric acid and/or lactic acid in the aqueous solution is preferably 1 to 20% by mass, more preferably 3 to 17% by mass, even more preferably 5 to 15% by mass, and particularly preferably 8 to 12% by mass.

When citric acid is used as an ingredient for adjusting the pH of raw milk, by adjusting the pH to 5.8 to 6.3, pasta filata cheese with a soft texture and smooth appearance can be obtained.
On the other hand, when lactic acid is used, pasta filata cheese having the above properties can be obtained by adjusting the pH to 5.7 to 6.3.

<2> Fermentation Step In the production method of the present invention, the pH-adjusted raw material milk is fermented by a conventional method.
The starter may be any of those commonly used in cheese production, such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactococcus lactis, and Streptococcus thermophilus.

When using a lactic acid bacteria starter as described above, the fermentation temperature is preferably 37 to 40°C.
The amount of lactic acid bacteria starter added is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 4% by mass, and even more preferably 1 to 3% by mass, relative to 100% by mass of raw milk.

<3> Curd Formation Step Next, curd is prepared from the fermented milk obtained through the fermentation step.
Curd can be prepared by a conventional method, i.e., by adding rennet (a milk-clotting enzyme) to fermented milk to cause it to coagulate.
After adding rennet and mixing, the mixture is left to stand for a certain period of time to form curd, which is then cut into pieces, for example, 2 to 5 cm square. The cut curd is stirred and left to stand, allowing the whey to be drained from the curd.

The curd is then piled up and fermented until the pH of the curd reaches 5.0 to 5.8, preferably 5.1 to 5.4, and more preferably 5.2 to 5.3, after which the curd is cut into pieces, for example, 1 to 3 cm square.

In the production method of the present invention, it is preferable to use rennet derived from a microorganism.
Among these, rennets with an enzyme activity temperature of 30 to 50° C. are preferred, and rennets with an enzyme activity temperature of 35 to 45° C. are more preferred. Rennets that are inactivated at temperatures higher than 45° C. are also preferred.
An example of such rennet is rennet derived from Rhizomucor miehei.

As the rennet, it is preferable to use purified rennet, and it is more preferable to use rennet purified by chromatography.
Examples of chromatographic purification include purification by cation exchange chromatography and purification by hydrophobic chromatography.

Generally, cheese made using microbial rennet is said to have a bitter taste compared to cheese made using calf rennet.
By using rennet derived from microorganisms purified by chromatography, enzymes other than milk-clotting enzymes, such as amylase and glucanase, are removed, resulting in less bitterness. In addition, other enzymatic decomposition reactions are less likely to occur, making it easier to control the physical properties of cheese.

<4> Cheese lump formation step In the curd formation step, after whey is removed, the curd is cut, and then heated and kneaded.
The curd can be heated and kneaded by adding hot water to the curd, so-called hot water kneading.
Alternatively, the card may be heated by steam heating or Joule heating (also called electrical heating or ohmic heating) and then kneaded.

Heating is preferably carried out so that the card temperature reaches 50-80°C, preferably 50-70°C, and more preferably 55-65°C.

The kneading is carried out in such a way that the curd is stretched to form the fibrous structure characteristic of pasta filata cheese.
The kneading can be carried out by a conventional method, using a kneader that is used for kneading curd.

The kneaded curd is molded into a desired shape, such as a sphere, using a molding machine to form a cheese block.
The kneading and molding of the curd may be carried out continuously or batchwise.
The weight of one cheese block is not particularly limited, but is usually 4 to 200 g, preferably 50 to 200 g, and particularly preferably 80 to 120 g.

After forming, the cheese mass is cooled in the usual manner.
For example, the cheese mass is cooled by being placed in a liquid at 10 to 20°C.

<5> Soaking step The cooled cheese block is soaked in salt water to complete the fresh pasta filata cheese of the present invention.
The concentration of the saline solution is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.1 to 20% by mass, preferably 0.2 to 10% by mass, more preferably 0.25 to 2% by mass, and even more preferably 0.3 to 1% by mass.
Immersion in salt water can impart a salty taste to the pasta filata cheese and also improve the shelf life of the pasta filata cheese.

In a known method for producing pasta filata cheese, salt water is added after the above-mentioned stretching and then shaping is performed, but in the present invention, it is preferable to include a step of immersing the shaped cheese block in salt water.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, pasta filata cheese having a soft texture and a smooth appearance can be stably produced.
The soft texture of pasta filata cheese is, for example, a hardness of 1.0 to 8.0 x 10 ⁴ N/m ² at 10°C.
As used herein, the term "smooth appearance" refers to a state in which the surface of the cheese is smooth and free of any roughness.

Furthermore, the pasta filata cheese produced by the production method of the present invention is juicy (fresh) and has a rich, full-bodied flavor.
Here, the term kokumi is used widely, and in particular, the kokumi of dairy products is expressed as a milk fat feeling or a creamy feeling (Reference: Journal of the Japanese Society for Taste and Smell Studies, Vol. 16, No. 3, December 2009, pp. 637-640).

Furthermore, the pasta filata cheese produced by the manufacturing method of the present invention has a water syneresis rate of 20% by mass or less, preferably 15% by mass or less, after the soaking step.
As described above, since syneresis during storage is sufficiently suppressed, the pasta filata cheese produced by the production method of the present invention has a uniform texture and a smooth appearance.

The water release rate can be calculated, for example, by leaving slices of pasta filata cheese at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes and applying each parameter to the formula "weight of released water / weight of original cheese piece x 100".

<Cheese production example>
(1) pH adjustment of raw milk 100 L of whole milk was sterilized using a plate heat exchanger by the HTST method under heat treatment conditions of 75°C for 15 seconds. The sterilized raw milk was cooled to 40°C, and then a 10% by mass aqueous citric acid solution heated to 40°C was added thereto in an amount sufficient to adjust the raw milk to a predetermined pH (Comparative Example: pH 5.7, Example 1: pH 5.8, Example 2: pH 6.3, Comparative Example 2: pH 6.4).

(2) Fermentation Step A predetermined amount of bulk starter (manufactured by Christian Hansen) was added to the raw material milk whose pH had been adjusted, mixed, and fermented for 1 hour.

(3) Curd Preparation Step After fermentation, 3 g of rennet (Fromase XLG, manufactured by DSM) was added to the fermented liquid, mixed, and allowed to stand for 30 minutes to form a curd.
The obtained curd was cut into cubes of 2.0 cm square, and then the whey was drained.
The process from adding rennet to completely discharging the curd took about 4 hours. The cut curd was then stirred for 1 hour and then allowed to stand.
After the whey was drained, the curd was piled while being kept at 40°C and the pH was adjusted to 5.3.

(4) Cheese Block Formation Step The obtained curd was cut into cubes of 1 cm square, and then 30 L of hot water at 85°C was added thereto, followed by stretching. The stretching was continued until the temperature of the curd reached 60°C.
The stretched curd was molded into 100 g/spheres using a molder, which were then poured into cold water at 15° C. to obtain cheese blocks.

(5) Soaking step The cheese block was soaked in saline to obtain fresh pasta filata cheese. The pasta filata cheese was stored at 5°C.

<Sensory evaluation>
Panelists familiar with the technical field of the present invention were asked to observe and taste the pasta filata cheeses of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 after 5 days of storage at 5°C, and evaluate the softness, juiciness, melt-in-the-mouth texture, and uniformity of texture (surface smoothness).
The evaluation was carried out on a scale of 5 points for each item, with 1 point being the lowest.
The results are shown in Table 1.

<Hardness measurement>
One day after the start of storage of the produced cheese, two samples of each cheese were taken out and the hardness was measured.
To measure the hardness, a sample measuring 3 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm in height was cut out from each specimen, and a rheometer (manufactured by Yamaden Co., Ltd.; RE-3305RHEONER) was used to measure the breaking strength at a product temperature of 10°C by inserting a cylindrical plunger having a diameter of 8 mm into the sample at 1.0 mm/s for 1.5 cm, and the average value was calculated. The results are shown in Table 2.

<Separation rate measurement>
The water release rate was calculated by slicing each sample into four equal pieces, leaving one piece at room temperature for 30 minutes, and dividing the weight of released water by the weight of the original cheese piece x 100.
The results are shown in Table 2.

As shown in Table 1, most panelists evaluated Example 1 (raw milk pH 5.8) as having a soft texture, a uniform structure, and a smooth surface. Furthermore, Example 1 was evaluated as being juicy and melting in the mouth.
Although Example 2 (raw milk pH 6.3) was slightly inferior to Example 1, it was evaluated as having sufficient softness, juiciness, melt-in-the-mouth texture, and uniformity of texture.

On the other hand, Comparative Example 1 (pH of raw milk: 5.7) was soft, juicy, and melted easily in the mouth, but the surface was rough in the melted state, and the appearance was poor.
Comparative Example 2 was inferior to Examples 1 and 2 in all evaluation items.

Furthermore, as shown in Table 2, Comparative Example 1 has a lower hardness and is softer than Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 2, but the water separation rate is about 1.6 to 2.3 times higher.
It is speculated that this high rate of water separation caused the cheese's structure to collapse, resulting in a melted surface and a rough appearance.
On the other hand, in Comparative Example 2, the syneresis rate was comparable to that of Examples 1 and 2, but the hardness was high and it could not be said to be a soft pasta filata cheese.

These results demonstrate that the manufacturing method of the present invention makes it possible to produce fresh pasta filata cheese that has both a soft texture and a smooth surface.
In addition, the pasta filata cheese produced by the production method of the present invention was juicy, melted in the mouth, and had excellent palatability.

In the above experimental example, citric acid was used as the acid to adjust the pH of the raw milk, but it has been confirmed that when lactic acid is used, pasta filata cheese with a soft texture, uniform structure, and smooth appearance can be produced even when the pH is 5.7.
Therefore, it can be said that the manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized by adjusting the pH of the raw material milk to 5.7 to 6.3.

The present invention can be used to produce fresh pasta filata cheese that has a soft texture and a smooth appearance.

Claims (6)

1. A method for producing pasta filata cheese, comprising:
a pH adjustment step of adjusting the pH of the raw material milk to 5.7 to 6.3;
a fermentation step of fermenting the raw material milk whose pH has been adjusted;
a curd preparation step in which rennet is added to the fermented milk after fermentation to form cheese curds;
a cheese block forming step of stretching and shaping the cheese curd to obtain cheese blocks each weighing 4 to 200 g ;
a soaking step of soaking the cheese block in a saline solution having a concentration of 0.1 to 2% by mass ;
Equipped with
The fat content of the raw milk is 3.0 to 4.5% by mass,
The hardness of the pasta filata cheese at 10°C is 1.0 to 8.0 x 10 ⁴ N/m ² ;
A method for producing fresh pasta filata cheese. 2. The method for producing pasta filata cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the cheese block forming step is a step of obtaining a cheese block by stretching the cheese curd, shaping it, and then cooling it by pouring it into a liquid. The pH adjustment step is a step of adding citric acid and/or lactic acid to raw milk,
3. The method for producing pasta filata cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the citric acid and/or lactic acid is a 1 to 20% by weight aqueous citric acid solution and/or a 1 to 20% by weight aqueous lactic acid solution. The rennet is a chromatographically purified microbial rennet,
4. The method for producing pasta filata cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the rennet has an enzyme activity temperature of 30 to 50°C. 5. The method for producing pasta filata cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the cheese block forming step comprises adding hot water to the cheese curds to heat and knead them, and the heating is carried out so that the temperature of the cheese curds reaches 50 to 80°C. The method for producing pasta filata cheese according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the concentration of the saline solution is 0.25 to 2% by mass.