The cultures are added to the milk to develop the taste over time when the cheese is in the making, Anne-Claire Bauquis, global marketing manager at Chr. Hansen explained. Delight TM is a 3-in-1 solution, as this culture plays on taste, flavour and texture.
Chr. Hansen is a Denmark-based ingredients supplier that provides enzymes and bacterial cultures for the dairy industry.
Low fat as a key element to healthier cheese
“Over the past 10-12 years an increasing proportion of consumers worldwide have become much more aware of the correlation between a healthy diet and their wellbeing, and low fat is a key element in this health trend,” Bauquis said.
Euromonitor’s data shows the number of low-fat product launches in the hard cheese segment increased by 33% from 2012 to 2014.
Bauquis noted the final fat level in the cheese, however, is determined by the amount of the fat content of the milk that’s used to make the cheese.
Reducing fat may damage the quality of cheese
Fat plays a key role in the texture and flavor of cheese, Bauquis said. Thus, making reduced-fat cheeses with a premium quality can be challenging.
“Eating cheese with fewer calories can be a disappointing experience. A flavorless sensation of rubber in one’s mouth has often been the result when natural fats are reduced, leading to moderate commercial success for cheese producers who wanted to pursue the opportunities within reduced-fat cheese,” she said.
Euromonitor’s data this year shows over 50% of consumers globally would buy reduced-fat cheese if the quality was better.
“Consumers, however health-oriented they may be, are unwilling to compromise on taste,” Bauquis said. “So, if by means of ingredients, reduced fat cheese quality is improved, a large market increase can be foreseen in the next 10 years.”
Chr. Hansen has one of the world’s largest commercial collections of bacterial strains with more than 20,000 strains, according to Bauquis. “Our core competence is how to combine them into new culture products that meet the need of our customers.”
Besides improving the taste and flavor of low-fat cheese, Delight TM also aims to improve the texture solubility, which is a rubber and spongy feel in a reduced-fat cheese, Bauquis said.
No post-acidification
Post-acidification means after-souring, and it results in a more sour taste and a more easily breakable texture, according to Bauquis.
“Post-acidification is so far the drawback of most ripening cultures.”
Delight TM, however, does not generate post-acidification, and its no-post-acidification feature creates novel possibilities in cheese landscape, especially in cheeses sensitive to post acidification, Bauquis said.
The new culture’s target customers are dairy companies that want to make premium cheese products around the world, especially in the continental cheese segments and cheddar segments, according to Bauquis.
Besides improving the quality of low-fat cheese, the company believes Delight TM will also support the creation of new cheeses with strong brand values, she added.