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August 5, 2024

You can do so much with mild Cheddar. And so can we!

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Cheddar may be arguably the world’s most beloved cheese, but there’s no argument about its versatility. Consumers can do a lot with cheddar thanks to its good flavor and equally good value1. Which is why market share continues to increase at a time when household budgets are under increased inflationary pressure.

The question for producers - not least in the UK & Ireland where cheddar cheese is the undoubted king of cheeses, representing 68% of volume – is how much more can you do with cheddar? Or to be more accurate, how much more can you do with less?

While prices continue to rise for shoppers, milk production is declining. In fact, Great Britain has recorded the lowest volumes of production in 2024 since the 2016/17 season.2 And in Ireland, the Central Statistics Office recently reported that milk production there is expected to be 6-7% lower than in 2023. Ideally, cheesemakers need a solution that helps them get more from their milk – preferably while taking less from the planet, through a reduced carbon footprint.

Fortunately, the team at dsm-firmenich has the solution - in the form of a combination of dairy solutions that enable producers to increase cheese productivity, reach ambitious sustainability targets; and maintain the delicious taste and texture of their cheddar – especially in mild cheddar.

A slice of efficiency

Perhaps the star of this portfolio is called Maxiren® XDS - the most advanced fermentation-produced chymosin on the market for cheddar cheese. It helps cheddar manufacturers produce more cheese – but with the same milk (or if supply is tight, the same amount of cheese with less milk). Specifically, Maxiren® XDS delivers a yield increase of up to 1% for cheddar types (including mild cheddar); and in sliced cheese, it can enable you to produce 15% more cheese slices.

Specifically, Maxiren® XDS allows an optimal conversion of αs1 casein into a αs1-I casein – which in turn enables fast curd knitting, high water binding, and improved emulsification for a premium quality cheese taste and texture (and higher yield). At the same time, the low proteolytic activity of Maxiren® XDS brings better texture integrity for a longer shelf life. Furthermore, the unique combination of αs1 casein hydrolysis plus low proteolytic activity allows cheesemakers to increase moisture in the cheese by up to 0.7% (absolute figure) while maintaining excellent flavor and texture.

Maxiren® XDS achieves all this while lowering the overall carbon footprint of cheddar production by up to 12%.

More choice, more taste

For mild cheddar in particular, reliable and consistent acidification is key. This is where our Delvo®Cheese CH-120 acidifying cultures can really help producers achieve a consistently clean flavor profile with no bitterness – in both mild and aged cheddar. They offer a range of rotations for different-sized dairies, and provide peace of mind, with a highly consistent acidification curve.

To round-out this flavor fiesta, we offer an extensive family of adjunct cultures that perfectly complement the clean cheddar taste profile. The dsm-firmenich Flavor Wheel™ allows all kinds of customization and differentiation to help create unique, signature flavor – especially when combined with our Delvo®Cheese acidifying cultures.

Beyond ingredients

It’s clear that the right ingredients are key to creating deliciously mild cheddar cheese that ticks all the sensory and sustainability boxes. But it’s equally important to know exactly when and how to use them. Here, our Cheese experts are always on-hand to help balance and optimize the use of cultures and other ingredients to create the finest possible cheddar. Whether you want to produce a high-volume, cost-effective cheddar; or a premium, indulgent, award-winning product, you can rely on us to bring it altogether in a single solution that’s sure to excite cheese lovers everywhere.

Would you like to know more about our solutions for mild cheddar cheese? Contact us to talk to an expert.

References

  1. Mintel, 2023. https://store.mintel.com/report/uk-cheese-market-report
  2. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, 2024 https://ahdb.org.uk/news/q1-2024-dairy-market-review
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