Cheese Articles
Bandaged cheeses: Dairy industry embraces return of these traditional and flavorful cheeses
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods Magazine | October 2024
Cheesemakers didn’t always have access to plastic packaging materials. It wasn’t until after World War II that plastic packaging became popular in the dairy industry. So, what did cheesemakers do before that?
ViewHow much dairy should we consume?
By John Lucey
Cheese Market News | September 2024
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal asked this question, “How much cheese should you eat?” This certainly isn’t the first article to question the role of dairy in a healthy lifestyle.
ViewThe possibilities are endless with mixed milk cheeses
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods | August 2024
As the name implies, mixed milk cheeses are produced by blending any combination of cow, sheep, and/or goat milk. These cheeses provide an opportunity for cheesemakers to produce products with unique flavor profiles. Mixed milk cheeses may also be more palatable for consumers who may not want the full flavor (or cost) of sheep or goat’s milk cheeses. Use of cow’s milk in a mixed milk cheese can also be helpful if there is only a limited availability of sheep or goat’s milk.
ViewSolutions to common challenges with 640-pound cheese blocks and barrels
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods | April 2024
In the 1970s, some companies began producing cheese in large 640-pound blocks to reduce handling and packaging costs. Before then, the largest format that cheese companies were routinely producing were 40-pound blocks, but when these are sent to the converter, they require manual handling to remove the packaging from each of the blocks and have more trim losses when converted into exact weight retail chunks or bars. Yet, 640s provide a more economical and efficient solution for manufacturers and converters.
ViewCheese judging versus grading in cheese competitions
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods Magazine | January 2024
Cheese judging and grading are important activities performed by the cheese industry, but both play very different roles.
ViewCauses of microbiological defects in cheese
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods Magazine | October 2023
Cheesemakers are constantly striving to make high-quality cheese by avoiding the occurrence of any unwanted attributes or defects. There are many causes of defects in cheese and I will focus on those that are directly related to microbiological issues. We can broadly separate the source of this contamination into those occurring on the farm or at the cheese plant.
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