ARS | Publication request: Quality aspects of raw milk cheeses

Submitted to: Food Technology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: May 16, 2012
Publication Date: June 20, 2012
Citation: Van Hekken, D.L. 2012. Quality aspects of raw milk cheeses. Food Technology. 66:67-78.

Technical Abstract: Cheese has been a part of the human diet for thousands of years and over the centuries cheesemakers have relied on the indigenous microflora and enzymes in raw milk to create the signature quality traits for the many different varieties of cheese found around the world. Although most of the cheese industry has shifted to using pasteurized milk, there is a small raw milk cheese industry in the U.S. today. This article discusses the microbiological, chemical, and biochemical factors that are responsible for the textural and sensorial differences found in raw and pasteurized milk cheeses.