Whether on bread, as a nibble with wine, in cheese-leek soup, as a cheese-cream sauce or for gratinating in casseroles and raclette: cheese enjoys great popularity. Cheese consumption has risen steadily over the past decade. In 2019, every German consumed an average of around 25 kilograms of cheese, and a total of around 2.1 million tons of cheese were consumed in Germany in the same year. Whether you like your cheese fine and mild in flavor or perhaps prefer it really hearty: due to the variety of different types, there is something for everyone. But how healthy is cheese? How much fat is in it and how do the different types of cheese differ? In the following, you will learn facts worth knowing about cheese.
How healthy is cheese?
Cheese is considered a valuable part of the daily diet, because in addition to protein and calcium, it also contains many vitamins, such as vitamin A and vitamin B2. Thanks to its content of calcium, cheese can help strengthen bones. It also contains valuable omega-3 fatty acids, which can have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Nevertheless, cheese should only be enjoyed in moderation, as it also provides plenty of fat, calories and salt (depending on the variety). In addition to healthy unsaturated fatty acids, cheese also contains saturated fatty acids, which are considered unhealthy. These can contribute to a negative influence on cholesterol levels. The respective content of healthy and less healthy ingredients varies depending on the type and quality of the milk used, so it is worth comparing the nutritional values of different types of cheese. A higher proportion of healthy ingredients is usually found in organic cheese made from mountain farm milk or hay milk. One study was able to show that products made from organic milk contain up to 50 percent more omega-3 fatty acids. Healthy or unhealthy?
How is cheese made?
Cheese is made from milk. The path from milk to finished cheese includes several steps:
- The milk is first filtered and heated if necessary (pasteurized).
- Then it is skimmed or by adding cream to produce the desired fat content.
- By adding rennet or lactic acid bacteria (“Dicklegung”) the milk coagulates and becomes sour.
- The mass is now divided into pieces (“curd”). Thus, it separates into its solid components (fat, protein, minerals and lactose) and its liquid component, the whey. The smaller pieces are produced, the less whey remains in the cheese and the harder the final product.
- Then the cheese is filled into the typical form of the variety and pressed, with additional whey flows off.
- After that, the cheese (except for fresh cheese) is bathed in brine to keep bacteria away and promote rind formation. In the process, he takes his salty taste.
- After that, the cheese must rest and ripen. The ripening process takes some time, depending on the variety several weeks or months.
- Depending on the variety, the cheese is still refined, for example, treated with noble mold or rubbed with herbs.
Vegan cheese, also known as analog cheese, is made without milk and is therefore strictly speaking only an imitation cheese, which may not legally bear the name “cheese”. It consists mostly of water, protein, vegetable fat and flavor enhancers.
Cheese varieties: What are the differences?
Cheese is distinguished according to five different criteria:
- Milk type
- Raw materials
- Method of coagulation
- Maturation
- Consistency
1. type of milk: from which milk is cheese made?
In our region, cheese is made primarily from cow’s milk. However, specialties made from sheep, goat and buffalo milk are becoming increasingly popular. For example, mozzarella is becoming increasingly popular. Originally, this is a cheese specialty from Italy, made from buffalo milk. In our country, however, mozzarella is mainly offered as a cow’s milk product, which tastes much milder than the original.
2. raw materials: raw milk or pasteurized?
First, the milk is usually pasteurized, that is, heated to about 75 degrees Celsius for a few seconds to make the product last longer and render undesirable microorganisms harmless. In the production of raw milk cheese, on the other hand, the milk is not pasteurized, but only heated to a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius.This allows both naturally occurring microorganisms, which are important for flavor formation and ripening of the cheese, and undesirable bacteria from the raw milk to pass into the cheese. These include listeria. These are bacteria that can cause so-called listeriosis, a disease that can lead to stillbirth and premature birth during pregnancy. Raw milk cheeses are therefore not suitable for pregnant women and must be labeled “made from raw milk.” Many cheeses originally known as raw milk cheeses (for example, Parmesan and Emmental) are now also sold as pasteurized cheeses. If the cheese does not have a separate “from raw milk” label, it can be eaten without hesitation.
3. coagulation method – rennet or lactic acid bacteria.
The basis of cheese making is based on “curdling” the milk. This process can be done by using rennet or lactic acid bacteria. The protein coagulates and the milk becomes thick. The result is the so-called rennet cheese, to which the majority of cheeses belong, or sour milk cheeses such as hand and basket cheese. Rennet is an enzyme found in calves’ stomachs that causes milk protein to coagulate. Because calves must be slaughtered to obtain the animal rennet, some vegetarians reject cheese made with animal rennet. In addition to animal rennet, the enzyme can now also be obtained from microorganisms or molds and from genetically modified bacteria. This is called microbial rennet. However, it is not suitable for the production of all types of cheese. Incidentally, those who pay attention to the fat content of cheese are well served by sour milk cheese. It always belongs to the cheese types of the lean stage (under ten percent fat in dry matter). 5 Facts About Cheese – iStock.com/HandmadePictures
4. ripening – the duration varies.
To develop flavor, aroma and appearance, every cheese needs to ripen. The time required for this varies from cheese to cheese. For example, Camemberts require a ripening period of one to two weeks. Edam, Gouda, Tilsiter and Edelpilz cheeses ripen for about five weeks. An Allgäuer Emmentaler must ripen for at least three months. The only exception is cream cheese, which does not require any time for ripening. Those who suffer from lactose intolerance, i.e. cannot tolerate lactose, should pay attention to the ripening time of the cheese and rather choose a hard cheese. This is because as the cheese matures, it contains less and less lactose. Therefore, after several months of ripening, cheeses become lactose-free (less than 0.1 grams of lactose per 100 grams of cheese).
5. consistency: from hard cheese to soft cheese.
Depending on the type of cheese, the consistency varies from spreadable cream cheese to hard cheese (for example, Emmental, Gruyère/Gruyère or Parmesan). There are also semi-hard cheeses (such as Appenzeller, Raclette or Edam) and soft cheeses (such as Brie or Camembert as soft cheeses with mold ripening or Münster and Limburger as soft cheeses with red smear). The terms semi-hard cheese (slightly softer and milder than hard cheese, for example Gouda) or semi-hard semi-hard cheese (which just retains its shape when cut, for example butter cheese) are also common.
How much fat is in cheese?
Sometimes you will find on cheese and cheese preparations the indication of the fat content stage (for example, lean stage, heavy cream stage), sometimes the fat content in dry matter (fat in dry matter) is marked. However, the absolute fat content is also sometimes indicated. So how do you know how much fat is actually in the cheese?
Meaning of “fat in dry matter.”
The fat content level makes a statement about the fat content in the dry matter (fat i. Tr.). Fat content is expressed in terms of dry matter because the absolute fat content of cheese changes during storage and aging due to water evaporation. However, it remains virtually unchanged in dry matter.
| Fat content level | Fat in dry matter |
|---|---|
| Heavy cream level | 60 to 85 % |
| Cream level | min. 50% |
| Full-fat level | min. 45 % |
| Fat level | min. 40 % |
| Three-quarter fat level | at least 30 |
| Half-fat level | min. 20 % |
| Quarter fat level | min.10 % |
| Lean level | less than 10 |
Determination of absolute fat content in cheese
The absolute fat content in cheese is lower than the fat content in dry matter and depends on the water content in cheese. It can be calculated by the following formulas:
- Fresh cheese = fat in dry matter x 0.3
- Soft cheese = fat i. Tr. x 0.5
- Semi-hard cheese = fat i. Tr. x 0.6
- Hard cheese = fat i. Tr. x 0.7
Example: You buy a semi-hard cheese (Gouda) with 45 percent fat in dry matter. The absolute fat content is: 45 percent fat i. Tr. x 0.6 = 27 g fat/100 g. Accordingly, one slice of cheese (30 grams) contains 8.1 grams of fat.
Can cheese be frozen?
Cheese is best consumed fresh, but sometimes it is necessary to store it for a longer period of time. Not all cheeses freeze well, but some are suitable for freezing without too much damage to flavor and texture:
- Not suitable are soft cheeses such as Brie or Camembert, cream cheese, cottage cheese or mozzarella and cheese with mold rind.
- Good can be frozen, however, hard cheese such as Emmental or Cheddar.
- Semi-hard cheeses such as Gouda, raclette cheese and Tilsiter can also be stored in the freezer, but become somewhat stickier after thawing. If you freeze slices of cheese, you should separate them beforehand by baking paper or greaseproof paper, otherwise they stick together.
- You can also freeze Parmesan cheese, ideally grated and in portions, so that you can use it more easily afterwards.
It is best to pack the cheese for freezing hygienically and airtight, and keep it in the freezer for no more than two to three months. Defrosting should be done in the refrigerator, never in the microwave. Afterwards, the cheese can be used well for gratinating – however, once frozen, it is no longer suitable as a topping for bread. 10 foods with mineral power