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Article: Look to plasmin to improve cheese quality, flavor
- Article from:
- Emerging Food R&D Report
- Article date:
- January 1, 1994
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Food Technology Intelligence, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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You may be aware that plasmin is a trypsin-like serine protease that occurs naturally in bovine milk. The enzyme is relatively heat-
stable, is able to survive milk pasteurization and is active in a variety of cheeses. Although the proteolytic activity of plasmin may influence the quality of dairy products, its role in cheese flavor development remains uncertain.
The enzyme is thought to be involved in astringent off-flavor in milk and bitterness in cheese. But plasmin also may play a beneficial role in the ripening of cheese. With this in mind, scientists at California Polytechnic State University (Dairy Products Technology Center, San Luis Obispo, CA ...