Chapter 35 – Cheeses With Propionic Acid Fermentation

Propionic acid fermentation in cheese leads to characteristic eyes and a nutty and slightly sweet flavor. Generic Emmental cheeses and other Swiss-type cheeses are produced in large quantities worldwide by the use of a culture of selected propionic acid bacteria (PAB). Among the four dairy PAB species, preferably selected strains of Propionibacterium freudenreichii are used at an inoculation dose of 103–104 cfu/mL. Interactions of PAB with lactic acid bacteria are of high importance, since they may influence texture, flavor, and ripening stability. The production of Swiss-type cheeses with a reproducible number, size, and distribution of eyes was a difficult task in the past, especially when using bactofuged or microfiltrated milk. Recently, the mechanism of eye formation in cheese has been fully elucidated so that control of the eye formation in cheese is possible nowadays. Furthermore, the chapter also covers common cheese defects occurring in Swiss-type cheeses.