When art meets science: Using the latest technology for more sustainable and efficient cheesemaking

The multifaceted nature of cheesemaking means that no one piece of equipment can be viewed in isolation. Changes made to early production stages like milk treatment or starter culture and coagulant introduction have a cascade effect, with material implications for processes and the final product. The rise of software-enabled equipment around the turn of the millennium was a major step forward as it allowed process parameters to be quickly updated during production, but even more so because it afforded cheesemakers an end-to-end view of their operations and the potential to make strategic improvements.¹ A quarter of a century later, a new wave of ‘smart’ technology is once again taking cheesemaking efficiency up a notch.

Harnessing milk data obtained via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) techniques; process-optimizing scans can create a comprehensive digital blueprint of a cheese production line. From here, technicians are ideally placed to analyze current operations and make targeted adjustments without the usual trial and error. The digital model accurately predicts the outcome of each change, meaning the entire process-optimization exercise can be perfected and agreed upon well before any potentially risky adjustments are made to real-world equipment and while simultaneously taking the whole production line into consideration.

An example of the benefits offered by process-monitoring technology can be found in dsm-firmenich’s laser coagulation evaluation system, Delvo®Gel, as it is part of the Delvo®Process Scan approach. Using state-of-the-art equipment and diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) technology and laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), this portable tool is applied directly into the cheese vat, where it can detect the smallest shift in the milk condition during the coagulation phase. It is therefore able to measure and define the optimal curd firmness at the cutting point, allowing cheesemakers to make data driven decisions that reduce variation and raw material wastage for higher yields of higher quality cheese.