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.