Cheese hits all the trends

Quality varies widely in cheese ingredients Absence of standards of identity for cheese-based ingredients such as cheese powder has resulted in a wide range of quality among cheese-based ingredients. Suppliers may opt to make their ingredient from the high quality premium raw material or from cheese that is out of specification or past its shelf life -- known in the industry as "opportunity cheese." The key to success for formulators using cheese to create food products is to first develop a reference standard using the real cheese and to then re-create the desired characteristics of the cheese in the final product. Product developers working with cheese and cheese powders should consider the ingredient primarily as a flavor ingredient instead of considering it as the "core ingredient" of the formulation. After determining that the cheese or cheese powder is indeed compatible with the processing parameters and any other restrictions or requirements - such as kosher, natural, low-fat or low-carb - formulators should next examine the cost implications on the final product. It goes without saying that prior to all of this, the formulator should determine how the cheese powder will be used in the food product, how the manufacturing process will affect the physical and flavor attributes of the cheese under consideration and if the flavor will withstand the rigors of preparation, distribution, storage and consumer preparation and still deliver what the product promises.

To non-Hispanics or people not familiar with these cheeses, they seem bland or exceedingly salty until consumers realize that cheeses such as queso fresco are designed to counterbalance spiciness rather than to introduce another flavor. Savvy marketers like General Mills are adding blends of cheeses to enhance the "authenticity perception" of their foods and engaging evocative descriptions and creative signage to lure and further educate customers.

Cheese is convenient. Consumer expectations grow for preparation ease, greater portability, convenience and ease in cleaning up. And cheese responds to all these demands.

Cheese consumption through foodservice has grown such that 43 percent of all cheese sales are through foodservice. Retail consumption is also on the rise, as is cheese going into food processing - i.e., into frozen entrees and sauces.

Many cheeses are organic and natural. Early this year, Kraft Foods (www.kraft.com), Glenview, Ill., recognized the growing influence of health and wellness on consumption and buying behaviors and responded with USDA certified-organic cheeses. Cream cheese, Neufchatel, Cheddar cubes, American slices, low-fat white Cheddar slices, Cheddar shreds and mozzarella shreds debuted under Kraft’s Back to Nature brand, a brand previously limited to breakfast cereal and macaroni and cheese with organic cheese sauce.

Once thought of simply as a high-fat food, cheese in recent years has won a number of accolades for healthy attributes.

The calcium in cheese and other dairy products long has been associated with bone health. Now, several scientific studies, on both rats and humans, have shown a link between dairy consumption and weight loss.

Most of these studies were funded by the dairy industry, however, and there is little independent research on this topic. The medical journal Obesity Research published the findings of a study funded by the National Dairy Council at the University of Tennessee. Of 32 obese adults who cut 500 calories from their daily diet for six months, those who consumed more dairy products lost an average of 11 percent of their body weight, compared with 2.5 percent loss of those who consumed lower amounts of dairy foods.

Check-off promotion program Dairy Management Inc. (www.dairyinfo.com) is reinforcing this "structure/function claims" for dairy and weight management, and the International Dairy Foods Assn. is overseeing the proper use of this dairy-weight loss claim. "Dairy is part of the solution to the nation's obesity crisis," claims Doug DiRienzo, vice president of nutrition research at DMI.

The mechanism for how cheese might help with weight management is unclear. In general, dairy products might contribute to greater satiety than other foods, helping dieters be less hungry and therefore, more likely to adhere to their diets. The calcium in cheese is believed to suppress certain hormones and enhance the breakdown of fat in the body. Increasing calcium may reduce levels of another enzyme that is responsible for the accumulation of fat around the abdomen - thus leading to the smaller waistlines touted in the dairy advertisements.

Sometimes, dieting is a matter of portion control. Cabot Creamery created new packaging in part to help address the rising incidence of obesity and Type-2 diabetes. A graph with 1-oz. increments set along the side of Cabot's reduced-fat cheddar cheese bars allows consumers to more accurately gauge how much they’re consuming. “We got many requests for this innovation especially from Weight Watchers members,” said Sara Wing, health programs manager at Cabot.

Cheese in general and one brand in particular got quite a boost from a certain low-carb diet. The South Beach Diet book casually mentioned the "Laughing Cow/Mini Babybel" tiny cheese wheels (3/4-oz. each) as a great portion-controlled, "one-gram carb" snack to help dieters maintain their regimen. Becky Ryan, director of marketing at Bel/Kaukauna USA (www.thelaughingcow.com), Kaukauna, Wis., reports that sales of the mini rounds of cheese more than doubled since last year and, more importantly, consumers continue to eat it even after they get off the low-carb diet.