We Call It Macaroni

Two lighter versions of everybody's favorite picnic salad
If picnics are your passion, you're in luck. From now until October, you are sure to have plenty of gorgeous weather beckoning for some outdoor dining. But do yourself a favor--make sure that what goes into your picnic basket is as light and healthy as the fresh air around you.

Start your picnic on the right note by leaving behind salads made with heavy dressings featuring ingredients like regular mayonnaise, sour cream and whipping cream. But that doesn't mean you can't take along a macaroni salad. Just remake it in a lighter mode. It's easy to do--simply replace high-fat ingredients with low-fat alternatives, such as yogurt and soy mayonnaise, or use an olive oil-based dressing flavored with fresh herbs. Both of our salads this month keep fat grains to a minimum yet are satisfying and delicious. Or you can choose one of the dressings and use it to revamp a favorite macaroni salad recipe of your own.

Nutrients In Cheese

The fat content in the cheese milk is adjusted to different levels so that cheese of different varieties containing varying levels of fat can be produced. Cheese, when it is fresh has a fat content of up to 12% level. The fat content in the ripened cheeses generally range between 20 and 30%. Consumers generally prefer high fat cheeses due to high fat content and this imparts a better flavour to the cheese. The fat in the dry matter content of cheese should be at least 40-50%, like Cheddar cheese so that there will be sufficient fat in the body which contributes to the typical aroma during cheese ripening by fat breakdown or lipolysis. With increasing consumer awareness about health and ill effects of excess fats, it becomes prudent to go in for "low fat cheese varieties". However, the low fat cheese varieties should have sufficient fat so that it will be organoleptically acceptable.

One need not bother about the cholesterol content of the cheese as it is rather low varying between 0-100 mg / 100 g depending on the amount of fat present in the cheese. Hence contribution of the cheese towards the cholesterol intake would be very limited to 3-4%. Cholesterol present in the diet plays a limited role to boost the blood cholesterol. The body has its own check to decrease the cholesterol synthesis when ever the dietary cholesterol level exceeds certain limit. The digestibility coefficiency of the fat found in different varieties of cheese varies between 88-94%.

PROTEINS Cheese

The higher amount of biologically valuable proteins in the cheese adds to its nutritive value. The protein content of different varieties of cheeses generally varies between 20-35%. The protein content varies inversely with the fat content in any type of cheese. A 100 g piece of a soft cheese will meet 30-40% of the daily protein requirement of an adult human being and from 100 g of hard cheese, 40-50% can be met. During the cheese manufacture casein, the major milk protein is incorporated to 95% level in the cheese whereas most of the biologically valuable whey proteins pass into the whey portion. Hence only 75-80% of the total protein is harvested in the cheese. 4-6% of the total protein is formed by whey protein when pasteurized milk is utilized for cheese making.

The biological value of protein obtained from cheese is somewhat less than that of milk since the nutritionally superior whey proteins (containing sulphur containing amino acids) are excluded during cheese making. The PER values for cheddar cheese is 3.7 which is significantly higher than that for casein (2.5). If an index of 100 is given for the essential amino acids present in milk, then the corresponding values for the different cheese varieties varies between 91 and 97. The biological value of protein is least influenced by the enzymes utilized during the preparation of cheese making (like rennet accompanied by acid production) or employed during ripening. The Maillard reaction does not occur in the cheese making and hence all the lysine available in milk is made available in cheese. Some of the ripened cheeses show a higher PER values than that of milk from which it is prepared.

Some persons are prone to migraine attack after consuming cheese. It is assumed that such people suffer from a genetically determined lack of monoamine oxidase. Consumption of large quantities of tyramine (up to 100mg) in these patients will cause migraine.

Cheese - Health And Nutrition

In general, cheese supplies a great deal of calcium, protein, and phosphorus. A 30 gram (one ounce) serving of cheddar cheese contains about seven grams of protein and 200 milligrams of calcium. Nutritionally, cheese is essentially concentrated milk: it takes about 200 grams (seven ounces) of milk to provide that much protein, and 150 grams to equal the calcium.

Cheese shares milk's nutritional disadvantages as well. The Center for Science in the Public Interest condemns cheese as America's number one source of saturated fat, adding that the average American ate 30 pounds (13.6 kg) of cheese in the year 2000, up from 11 pounds (5 kg) in 1970.Their recommendation is to limit full-fat cheese consumption to two ounces (60 grams) a week. Whether cheese's highly saturated fat actually leads to an increased risk of heart disease is called into question when considering France and Greece, which lead the world in cheese eating (more than 14 ounces (400 grams) a week per person, or over 45 pounds (20 kg) a year) yet have relatively low rates of heart disease.

A number of food safety agencies around the world have warned of the risks of raw-milk cheeses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that soft raw-milk cheeses can cause "serious infectious diseases including listeriosis, brucellosis, salmonellosis and tuberculosis".It is U.S. law since 1944 that all raw-milk cheeses (including imports since 1951) must be aged at least 60 days. Australia has a wide ban on raw-milk cheeses as well, though in recent years exceptions have been made for Swiss Gruyère, Emmental and Sbrinz, and for French Roquefort. Some say these worries are overblown, pointing out that pasteurization of the milk used to make cheese does not ensure its safety in any case.This is supported by statistics showing that in Europe (where young raw-milk cheeses are still legal in some countries), most cheese-related food poisoning incidents were traced to pasteurized cheeses.

Transfer Of Protein From Milk To Cheese

This report concerns measurement of paracasein in milk and transfer of protein from milk to cheese. In the main experiment, two vats of Cheddar cheese were made from each of 11 lots of milk from one large herd over a period of 7 mo.

Exclusion of solutes from moisture in paracasein micelles in milk and cheese was central to estimation of paracasein and to the transfer of protein from milk to cheese and whey. Solute-exclusion by paracasein and its changes during cheesemaking could be visualized by considering paracasein micelles to be a very fine sponge. The sponge excludes solutes, especially the large solutes like whey proteins. The sponge shrinks during cheesemaking and expels solute-free liquid, thereby slightly diluting the whey surrounding the micelles inside the curd.

Proteose-peptone from milk appeared not to be included with the paracasein in appreciable amounts. Some was apparently included with denatured serum proteins during Rowland fractionation of whey, perhaps as a coprecipitate. Measured paracasein would include fat globule membrane proteins in milk containing fat, and denatured whey proteins in heated milks. It was concluded that the method of measurement and the associated calculations are integral parts of the definition and quantification of paracasein in milk.

Some studies claim to show that cheeses including Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss and American can help to prevent tooth decay.Several mechanisms for this protection have been proposed:

• The calcium, protein, and phosphorus in cheese may act to protect tooth enamel.
• Cheese increases saliva flow, washing away acids and sugars.
• Cheese may have an antibacterial effect in the mouth.

Cheese is often avoided by those who are lactose intolerant, but ripened cheeses like Cheddar contain only about 5% of the lactose found in whole milk, and aged cheeses contain almost none.Some people suffer reactions to amines found in cheese, particularly histamine and tyramine. Some aged cheeses contain significant concentrations of these amines, which can trigger symptoms mimicking an allergic reaction: headaches, rashes, and blood pressure elevations.

Protein Rich Foods

Surprisingly, some parents don't worry about finding calcium rich foods or iron rich foods, which kids often don't get enough of. Instead, they worry that their kids don't get enough protein in their diet because they don't like to eat meat.

Most can be reassured that their kids are getting plenty of protein in their diet though, especially when you consider that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 'protein is so abundant in the foods Americans eat, that most of us, children and adults alike, consume more than we need.'1

Keep in mind that only about 10 to 20 percent of your calories are supposed to come from protein, with the rest coming from carbohydrates and fats.
Protein Requirements
Protein requirements depend on a child's age and weight. For example, the average 4-6 year old preschooler requires about 22 grams of protein a day, while an older 7-10 year old requires about 28 grams of protein a day.

Making things a little more complicated, protein requirements also depend on the 'quality' of protein your child eats and how easily digestible it is. In general, animal proteins, such as from milk, eggs, and meats, are considered highly digestible and higher quality than plant sources of protein. You don't have to worry about this though, as long as you vary which protein foods your child eats. Even if your child only eats plant sources of protein, as long as you pair them, such as by eating grains and legumes, you can get the right amounts of proteins in your child's diet.
Protein Rich Foods
I think that one of the reasons that parents don't think that their kids get enough protein in their diets is that they simply aren't aware that protein is in so many different foods! Many foods besides red meat are high in protein, which means that your kids are likely getting much more protein in their diet than you think.

Improve Your Nutrition One Day At A Time

Cheese is a great source of calcium and protein. There is such a variety of cheese. Many of us are familiar with dairy cow cheese, but why not try a variety of goat cheese or sheep cheese? Sprinkle a small amount of grated low-fat cheese on a healthy salad for extra calcium and protein.

The spatial arrangement of fat globules, water molecules and the protein matrix determines the texture and physical properties of cheese when used as an ingredient. For example, Parmesan has a higher protein content than cheddar and, therefore, tends to be firmer. Havarti cheese, which has a protein matrix that is physically separated by higher concentrations of moisture and fat, tends to have a soft, weak body.

Changes in pH affect the size and water-holding capacity of the casein micelle (the type of protein retained as cheese curd) and ultimately cheese texture. At a cheese pH of 5.5, the micelles tend to be larger and more globular. As pH drops, they assume a smaller, compact confirmation and the cheese becomes shorter in texture.

Higher moisture cheeses have a smoother mouthfeel than hard, grating cheeses, which are low in moisture. Higher milkfat cheeses also tend to be softer, smoother and creamier in the mouth. The milkfat completely melts in the mouth, contributing to smooth mouthfeel.

Milk Protein Concentrate Facilitates

Milk protein concentrate facilitates Swiss cheese manufacture, ripening.
Shortages in the availability of milk have lead cheese producers to use milk solids in order to overcome this problem and to increase product yield and plant capacity. The limiting component for using additional solids is lactose.

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is a low-lactose form of milk solids that could be used in cheese manufacture. Substituting cheese milk with MPC for Swiss cheese manufacture was the focus of research at The Ohio State University. Investigators examined the effects of a reduction in lactose achieved by substituting milk with MPC-70.

The objective of the scientists was to determine if small levels of MPC affected the acid production and cheese ripening characteristics of Swiss cheese. They found that using small amounts of MPC to reduce lactose in cheese milk was useful in Swiss cheese manufacturing and ripening.

Swiss cheese batches were made at the university's dairy pilot plant using 19.5 L of milk. Cheese milk was substituted with 1.5% and 3% MPC-70. Researchers used the same lactic acid-producing starter organisms and three different P. shermanii strains. Cheese milk was standardized to a 0.8-1 total protein-to-fat ratio. Textural properties, pH and free amino acid levels were measured after cold room treatment, after warm room treatment, and at day 60 and day 90.

Types Of Cheeses

There are more than 400 different types of cheeses—with more than 2,000 different names—and several different ways to classify them. Sometimes cheeses are classified according to their ripening methods. Cheeses ripened by microbes added to the curds, such as Gorgonzola and Roquefort, are called interior-ripened cheeses. Cheeses ripened by the action of microbes rubbed on their surfaces, such as Brie and Camembert, are called surface-ripened cheeses.

Cheeses are often grouped by their moisture content into fresh, soft, semisoft, hard, and very hard cheeses. Many of these classifications overlap because the texture of a cheese changes as it ages. Fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese, are the soft, moist curds that have been cut and drained of their whey but never cooked or ripened. Cottage cheese is simply drained, mixed with cream or milk, and seasoned. However, some fresh cheeses, such as cream cheese and ricotta, are lightly pressed or molded to improve their shape and consistency.

Soft cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert, have a creamy consistency with a cardboard-like rind and are usually surface-ripened. Semisoft cheeses have a smooth texture and are usually uncooked. The interior-ripened blue-veined cheeses—such as Blue cheese, Roquefort, and Gorgonzola—fall under the semisoft category. Washed-rind cheeses, or cheeses that are rubbed with brine-soaked cloths during ripening, are also considered semisoft cheeses. Well known semisoft, washed-rind cheeses include Muenster and Limburger.