Technology tests cheese with ease, says manufacturer
cost effective way of driving large-scale innovation within their
products, its manufacturer claims.
Netherlands-based research group Nizo says its MicroCheese model system can meet the increasing demands amongst dairy processors for added-value goods, and improved microbial safety on an industrial level. With processors under increasing pressure from a decline in global milk supply, the dairy industry is having to adapt to more cost-effective production methods, particularly for lucrative value-added goods. Nizo says its MicroCheese system can dramatically shake up current production and testing methods. Previous testing systems for cheese have often proven to be labour intensive and laboratory based, incurring greater costs for producers, according to the company. Despite modern advances in testing, the group believes most existing technology is still not meeting the industry's needs. To meet this demand, the company claims that the technology is capable of producing 600 varieties of micro cheeses using ,in some cases, as little as 1.5ml of milk per sample. These micro cheeses, which are about 200mg in size, can then be tested for their flavour and texture qualities, as well as bacterial activity. The company claims that the technology will grant processors a system for rapid testing of a large variety of cheeses, creating opportunities in developing markets like low-fat and low-salt production. MicroCheese also uses separate micro cheese vats, allowing for testing of a number of different cheeses at the same time, Nizo says. The desirable properties of these cheeses can then be replicated for large-scale industrial production. The patented technology was developed as part of a research program at the Kluyver Center for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation.
