High pressure treatment: applications in cheese manufacture and ripening

High pressure (HP) treatment has emerged as a food processing technology pr imarily due to increasing interest in novel methods for preservation of foo ds. Applying HP to food products modifies interactions between individual c omponents, influences rates of enzymatic reactions and can inactivate micro organisms. This paper reviews studies of HP induced changes in milk relevan t to cheesemaking, including the effects of HP on rennet coagulation time, rate of curd formation and cheese yield. Published studies on the effects o f direct HP treatment of cheese and specifically the effects of HP on chees e ripening characteristics, functionality and microbiology, are also review ed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.