Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.
J Dairy Sci. 2017 Dec;100(12):9952-9965. doi: 10.3168/jds.2017-12979.
In the beginning, cheese making in the United States was all art, but embracing science and technology was necessary to make progress in producing a higher quality cheese. Traditional cheese making could not keep up with the demand for cheese, and the development of the factory system was necessary. Cheese quality suffered because of poor-quality milk, but 3 major innovations changed that: refrigeration, commercial starters, and the use of pasteurized milk for cheese making. Although by all accounts cold storage improved cheese quality, it was the improvement of milk quality, pasteurization of milk, and the use of reliable cultures for fermentation that had the biggest effect. Together with use of purified commercial cultures, pasteurization enabled cheese production to be conducted on a fixed time schedule. Fundamental research on the genetics of starter bacteria greatly increased the reliability of fermentation, which in turn made automation feasible. Demand for functionality, machinability, application in baking, and more emphasis on nutritional aspects (low fat and low sodium) of cheese took us back to the fundamental principles of cheese making and resulted in renewed vigor for scientific investigations into the chemical, microbiological, and enzymatic changes that occur during cheese making and ripening. As milk production increased, cheese factories needed to become more efficient. Membrane concentration and separation of milk offered a solution and greatly enhanced plant capacity. Full implementation of membrane processing and use of its full potential have yet to be achieved. Implementation of new technologies, the science of cheese making, and the development of further advances will require highly trained personnel at both the academic and industrial levels. This will be a great challenge to address and overcome.
起初，美国的奶酪制作完全是一门艺术，但为了在生产更高质量的奶酪方面取得进展，必须采用科学和技术。传统的奶酪制作无法满足奶酪的需求，因此必须发展工厂系统。由于牛奶质量差，奶酪质量受到影响，但 3 项重大创新改变了这种局面：冷藏、商业发酵剂和巴氏杀菌牛奶用于奶酪制作。尽管冷藏据称可以提高奶酪质量，但对牛奶质量的改善、牛奶的巴氏杀菌以及使用可靠的发酵剂进行发酵的影响最大。与使用纯化的商业发酵剂一起，巴氏杀菌使奶酪生产能够按照固定的时间表进行。发酵剂细菌遗传学的基础研究大大提高了发酵的可靠性，这反过来又使自动化成为可能。对奶酪功能性、可加工性、烘焙应用以及对奶酪营养方面（低脂和低钠）的需求，使我们回到了奶酪制作和成熟过程中发生的化学、微生物和酶变化的基本原则，从而为科学研究带来了新的活力。随着牛奶产量的增加，奶酪工厂需要提高效率。膜浓缩和牛奶分离为这一问题提供了一个解决方案，并大大提高了工厂的产能。膜处理的全面实施及其全部潜力尚未得到充分利用。新技术的实施、奶酪制作科学的发展和进一步进展的开发将需要在学术和工业层面都具备高度训练有素的人员。这将是一个需要解决和克服的巨大挑战。
