VATIS UPDATE Article

DSM, the Netherlands, the global life sciences and materials sciences company, has developed Pack-Age®, a revolutionary cheese ripening solution that not only offers complete protection for all cheeses, but also allows them to ripen to the perfect flavour. There are two conventional processes for the ripening of hard to semi-hard cheeses. The most traditional way, known as ‘natural ripening’, involves air drying the cheeses during ripening, and applying a coating to protect them from external factors.

As some mould growth cannot be prevented, in addition to cheese coatings containing mould inhibitors like natamycin, washing the surface with different cleaning agents can be used as an alternative to clean the cheeses during and after ripening. The other process, used to obtain young cheese, involves packing the cheese in a seal-tight film straight after brining. This film-packed cheese has a typical flat taste, and is soft and rind less. With Pack-Age® – the newly developed packaging solution for ripening cheese – you can now ripen your cheese ‘naturally’ by covering it with a membrane.

The oxygen barrier properties of the Pack-Age® membrane opens up opportunities for clean label cheese, however when combined with Delvo®Cid (a natural mold and yeast inhibitor) the selective gas permeability of the membrane offers the best possible protection against yeast and mold growth. Pack-Age® can be used to ripen semi-hard to hard cheeses and obtain a natural taste, texture and dry rind. When applied to Gouda cheese, the new ripening solution has resulted in moisture loss falling by as much as 50 percent.