New Swiss cheese culture with attractive flavor and production upsides

Chr. Hansen launches the OpenIT PS-80 cheese culture which makes it possible to produce Maasdammer and Emmenthal cheese faster while at the same time improving the taste.

Differentiation is the driving force in the Swiss cheese market these days. Most branded products in the Maasdammer and Emmenthal families differentiate on the basis of flavor intensity, texture, salt content, milk origin, or health claim. Moreover, new products in the Swiss cheese category usually also come in cooking-friendly formats (shredded, sliced or in cubes).

Expanding the differentiation opportunities for Swiss cheese producers, Chr. Hansen extends its popular OpenIT^TM range of so-called 'propionic' (organic acid) cheese cultures with the launch of the culture "PS-80".

Deliciously mild flavor
"Producers of Swiss cheese struggle with the formation of rancid, pungent flavor in the cheese, coming from the degradation of lipids into fatty acids. Using the new culture PS-80 cheese makers will able to achieve a deliciously extra mild and clean flavor in the cheese," says Chr. Hansen’s Anne-Claire Bauquis, Marketing Manager, Cheese Cultures.

Reduce the ripening time
In addition, PS-80 enables cheese makers to cut up to 25% of the cheese ripening time allowing for greater productivity and cost-efficiency. Finally, PS-80 provides fast and consistent "eye formation" (holes in the cheese), something which is particularly useful to dairies who make sliced cheese. Here, efficient processes and consistent eye formation are success key parameters.

Chr. Hansen aims at covering a significant part of the 900,000 ton annual production of propionic cheese with its OpenIT^TM cheese cultures within the next two years.