pH Measurement of Cheese

There are hundreds of types of cheese around the world. With such a large variety, it is only expected that different cheeses will have different ways of preparation. This can include varying levels of temperature and/or pH to ensure the quality of the cheese. The quality of cheese flavor and texture is the result of well-kept pH and temperature.

 

Just as temperature is vital to keeping food quality and safety from diminishing, measuring pH is just as important. pH makes sure quality standards have been met; in doing so, they are guaranteeing the safety of the cheese production. For example, during the ripening process, the pH of cheese must be checked to make sure bacteria in the cheese is under control. Most cheeses range from 5.1 to 5.9 in pH. However, this range will have exceptions to certain types of cheeses such as Camembert cheese which has a pH of 7.4.

 

There are multiple steps in the cheese making process: acidification, coagulation, curding, salting, pressing, and ripening. The measurement of pH is taken multiple times during the process.

 

In acidification, starter culture (microorganisms, typically bacteria) is added into milk to stimulate the formation of a solid. The bacteria from the starter culture will breakdown the lactose from the milk, resulting in lactic acid from bacteria waste. After starter culture is added, fermentation will occur and will continue into the coagulation stage. The lactic acid, created by the bacteria, will lower the pH of the product. pH should be measured every one to four hours when fermentation is happening since this step will affect the ripening stage of the cheese.

 

After coagulation and fermentation, curding is next. In this stage, pH is used to indicate the best time to cut the curds. Curds are the solidified parts of the milk; they are what eventually turn into cheese. By using pH readings during curding, the loss of curds in whey (liquid left from acidification) will be minimized. After curding, salt is added for flavor and to ensure that the cheese will not spoil.

 

Once the cheese begins the ripening process, the pH will increase once again. pH is also significant during the ripening stage since it can control the quality of the ripened cheese. Bacteria will continue to grow during ripening which changes the chemically composition of the cheese, leading to more development of texture and flavor. The quality of cheese can be affected if the bacteria is not continuously measured and kept in control. Luckily, the easy solution for making high quality cheese is to measure the pH with an accurate and dependable electrode.

 

During the cheese making process, the pH is measured multiple times. Each type of cheese may have a slightly different process and pH level. It is important for manufacturers and companies to be aware of the differences and treat each cheese variety with the quality and care it deserves.

 

Measuring the pH of cheese essentially gives the manufacturer control of the cheese process. Dependable pH electrodes will consistently lead to high quality cheese. pH readings will monitor and indicate the best times to end one process and start another. It will also indicate whether safety food guidelines have been met and will help monitor the bacteria activity in the cheese.

 

The Sensorex S175CD Spear Tip electrode is ideal for measuring the pH of cheese. The sensor’s epoxy body is robust and virtually unbreakable. With its spear shaped tip, it has the ability to penetrate through semi-solid objects such as meat, sausage, cheese, and soil. The electrode is also built with a double junction reference which will ensure protection from samples that might contaminate the reference junction. The spear tip electrode comes with a BNC connector (other connectors available upon request) and can be used with virtually any handheld or online meter on the market.