Arla Food Ingredients, a subsidiary of Swedish-Danish cooperative Arla Foods, has unveiled Nutrilac FastRipe, a natural milk protein, designed to cater to the needs of cheese manufacturers.
Claimed to allow cheese-makers reduce ripening times, the use of new protein will not alter the product quality or shelf life. It allows companies to cut storage costs by fastening the maturation process, depending on cheese variety.
Ripening, which is a key process in the production of continental and cheddar-type cheeses, takes three weeks to over a year.
Made with Arla Foods Ingredients' CH-4560 natural whey protein, Nutrilac FastRipe is available as a soluble powder that can be blended with cheese-milk or water and suitable for applications, including Gouda, Edam, Manchego, Cheddar and Port Salut.
The new protein does not require to be declared on the label in most of the countries as the ingredient is derived purely from milk, said the company.
According to Arla Foods Ingredients, a dairy firm producing 30,000 tons of Gouda a year with 0.25% Nutrilac FastRipe to its recipe could generate savings of €363,000 as well as reduce storage time by three weeks.
