IDM ¦ Ingredients
Lipases from mushrooms
for the production of cheese
Authors:
Dr. Miriam A. Sowa, Dr. Martin Gand, Working Group Prof. Dr. Holger Zorn, Institute of Food Chemistry and Food Biotechnology
Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
M. Sc. Julia Manhard, Dr. Alexander Siegl, optiferm GmbH
Use of animal lipases for cheese production
Certain types of cheese are traditionally made with the addition
of animal lipases (fat-hydrolyzing esterases) from the mouth and
throat glands of goats, sheep or calves to form the characteristic
flavor profile of these cheeses. For white cheese, brine cheese
(such as Feta and its variants from cow's milk), Kashkaval and
many Italian cheeses, the use of animal lipases is indispensable to
obtain their distinctive character.
Lipases are enzymes that play an important role in the degradation
of fats. They are naturally present in raw milk. Among
others, lipases release short- and medium-chain fatty acids by hydrolysis
of milk fat and thus contribute directly to the flavor of
the cheese during its ripening. Free fatty acids not only affect the
sensory properties of the product itself; they also contribute to
other flavor-forming reactions. Lipases present in raw milk are
heat-labile and are inactivated during the pasteurization process.
This heat damage can be compensated by the addition of lipases
from goat, sheep or calf into the cheesemaking milk. Lipases are
used as natural means to intensify the flavor and aroma of cheese.
The enzymes can be used to produce cheese with a strongly pronounced,
spicy flavor profile, as is typical of provolone or pecorino.
In particular, short-chain fatty acids with four to ten carbon atoms
support the formation of the goat milk´s aroma, which intensifies
over the period of ripening. Due to the faster and stronger flavor
development, storage costs and cheese ripening time are reduced.
36 · March/April 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
Regulatory Issues
The problem is that none of the above-mentioned animal enzyme
preparations can be considered kosher, halal or vegetarian, and the
demand for such products is steadily increasing. As the dairy industry
changes, the requirements for excipients and additives have
also changed in recent years. Whey is produced in large quantities
during cheese production. From the whey, ingredients such as
whey protein, lactose and lactoferrin are extracted, refined and distributed
worldwide. These products are also used in strictly regulated
industries such as the pharmaceutical industry (e. g. lactose
as a filler) and in rapidly growing markets, which – for reasons of
faith – follow clearly defined dietary requirements. Accordingly, all
food products supplied to such markets must be either halal or
kosher. Therefore, cheese-making companies and whey-processing
companies that export their products worldwide must have kosher
and halal certification. optiferm GmbH – a medium-sized enterprise
in Bavaria/Germany – has been supplying the dairy and the food
industry with enzymes and cultures since 2002. The company has
identified an urgent need to develop an innovative alternative that
meets the requirements for a vegetarian, kosher and halal compatible
product, which is of equal quality to animal lipases.
Enzymes from edible fungi
Fungi play a central role in the decomposition of biomass. They
have a vast array of different enzymes which enables the fungi to
degrade a wide variety of substrates. The term mushroom is gen
/international-dairy.com
