Cheese Chemistry:

Studies which examine the causative factors associated with defects and distinguishing features of cheese such as calcium lactate crystal formation, the impact of seasonal changes in milk composition on cheese quality, and sensory, rheological and chemical changes in cheese during manufacture and aging are some of the topics being investigated. Sensory evaluation studies to examine the influence of terroir on cheese flavor and chemistry are currently in the planning stage.

Abstracts and Publications

Rajbhandari, P. and P.S. Kindstedt. 2005. Compositional factors associated with calcium lactate crystallization in smoked Cheddar cheese. J. Dairy Sci. 88:3737-3744

Rajbhandari, P. and P.S. Kindstedt. 2005. Development and Application of Image Analysis to Quantify Calcium Lactate Crystals on the Surface of Smoked Cheddar Cheese. J. Dairy Sci. 88:4157-4164

Druart M., D`Amico D.J., Donnelly D. 2006. Validation of Heat Acid Coagulated Fresh Hispanic Cheese Manufacture Process to Achieve a 5-log Reduction of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Presented at the International Association of Food Protection annual meeting and further publication at the Journal of Food Protection.

D`Amico, D., and C.W. Donnelly. 2006. Characterization and ecology of Listeria sp. isolated from farmstead cheese processing facilities. International Symposium on Problems of Listeriosis Book of Abstracts.

Smart, C.J., D.D`Amico and C.W. Donnelly. 2006. Comparitive evaluation of enrichment media to optimize the performance of the BAX® system for low level Listeria detection. International Symposium on Problems of Listeriosis Book of Abstracts.

D`Amico, D., Silk, T.M., Wu, J., and Guo, M. 2006. Inactivation of microorganisms in milk and apple cider treated with ultrasound J Food Prot. 69:556-563.

D`Amico, D., M. Druart, and C.W. Donnelly. 2006. The 60 day aging requirement does not ensure the safety of soft ripened cheese when Listeria monocytogenes are introduced as post processing contaminants. Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection Book of Abstracts.

Rajbhandari, P., J. Patel, E. Valentine and P.S. Kindstedt. 2007. Chemical changes that predispose smoked Cheddar cheese to calcium lactate crystallization. J.Dairy Sci. (in press)

Almena, M, P. Kindstedt , S. Carpino and G. Licitra. 2007. Changes in acidification during cheesemaking in relation to the aroma development of a farmstead cheese: A preliminary study. J. Dairy Sci. (in press)

D`Amico, D. and C.W. Donnelly. 2007. Prevalence of Target Pathogens in Farmstead Raw Milk Destined for Cheesemaking. Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection Book of Abstracts.

D`Amico, D., M. Druart, and C.W. Donnelly. 2007. Diversity of Listeria monocytogenes Ribotypes Isolated from Farmstead Cheese Processing Facilities. Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection Book of Abstracts.

D`Amico, D.J., and C.W. Donnelly. 2008. Enhanced Detection of Listeria spp. in Farmstead Cheese Processing Environments through Dual Primary Enrichment, PCR, and Molecular Subtyping. Journal of Food Protection. 71:2239-2248.

D`Amico, D. E. Groves and C.W. Donnelly. 2008. Low Incidence of Foodborne Pathogens of Concern in Raw Milk Utilized for Farmstead Cheese Production. Journal of Food Protection. 71: 1580-1589.

D`Amico, D., M. Druart, and C.W. Donnelly. 2008. 60-Day Aging Requirement Does Not Ensure the Safety of Surface-Mold-Ripened Soft Cheeses Manufactured from Raw or Pasteurized Milk When Listeria monocytogenes Is Introduced as a Postprocessing Contaminant. Journal of Food Protection. 71: 1563-1571.