Cheese
(borrowed from Portuguese, Queijo) is a food that is produced by
separating the solids in the milk through a process of thickening or
coagulation.
Coagulation process is done with the help of certain bacteria or enzymes called rennet.
The results of this process will be dried, processed and preserved in various ways.
Milk can be produced from a variety of cheese products.
Cheese
products vary determined from the type of milk, the coagulation method,
temperature, method of cutting, drying, heating, as well as the process
of cheese ripening and preservation.
Generally, animals are used as the water source is cow's milk.
The milk of the camel, goat, sheep, horse, or buffalo is used in several types of local cheese.
The food is known around the world, but allegedly first became known in the area around the Middle East.
Although
it is uncertain when the cheese was first discovered, according to
legend cheese was first discovered accidentally by an Arab nomad.
The
cheese has almost all the nutrients in milk, such as protein, vitamins,
minerals, calcium, and phosphorus but also fat and cholesterol that can
cause health problems if consumed in excess.
The amount of fat content in cheese depends on the type of milk used.
Cheese made with whole milk or cream has been added to the fat, cholesterol and calories are high.
Cheese
is very useful because it is rich in protein, especially for small
children because they require more protein than adults.
In addition to the good taste and savory, cheese also save a lot of nutrients that are beneficial to the body. Among them are:
- Profile of amino acids in cheese is complete enough for building muscle tissue, the body's metabolism of the cells and bones.
- Rich useful riboflavin helps metabolize carbohydrates and maintain healthy mucous membranes.
- Rich
in vitamin B12 and folic acid are beneficial in cheese helps DNA
synthesis, maturation of red blood cells and maintain nerve function.
- Rich in vitamin A is important for vision, healthy skin, tissue surfaces and protection against infection.
- Rich in selenium are essential for the synthesis of an antioxidant enzyme.
- Rich in phosphorus are useful as a shaper of ATP for energy production, bone and teeth formation and acid base balance.
- Rich
in calcium which is important for the formation of bones and teeth,
blood clotting, maintaining nerve function, muscle and heart rhythm.
- Cheese also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that can relieve stress, aid sleep and reduce pre-menstrual syndrome.
- The content of calories and carbohydrates are also very low making it suitable as a diet food.
- Contains a lot of minerals so it is good to protect teeth from decay.
Nutrient content
Cheese is a food full of nutrients.
Cheese has many elements in common with milk, a protein, fat, calcium and vitamins.
A pound of cheese has protein and fat are equal in number to one gallon of milk.
Cheese with high humidity levels have lower nutrient concentrations than the cheese low humidity levels.
Fat
Fat gives flavor and unique texture to the cheese.
The fat content of cheese varies on the type of cheese to another.
Fresh cheese has a fat content of up to 12%.
While the fat content of cheese ripened ranged between 40-50%.
Protein
The cheese has a protein content of 10-30%.
Protein is obtained from the modified casein.
When the maturation process, proteins are broken down into oligopeptide and amino acids.
This process affects the structure and flavor of the cheese.
The process called proteolysis and protein degradation because the process is so easy to digest protein.
Mineral
The cheese is rich in calcium, phosphorus and zinc.
One
ounce of cheese contains about 200ml of calcium on the calcium content
of the cheese will be different, depending on whether the cheese is
coagulated using enzymes or acids.
The
cheeses coagulated using enzyme contains two times more calcium than
either asam.Keju also rich in sodium, because the addition of salt
during the process of manufacture.
Vitamin
When pure milk used to make cheese, vitamin A and D are fat soluble live on curds.
However, many water-soluble vitamins are lost borne whey.
Only
about a quarter of riboflavin (vitamin B2) and one-sixth of thiamine
(vitamin B1) who lives in Cheddar, whereas niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin
B12, biotin, pantothenic acid, and folic carried with whey.
Lactose
The content of lactose in cheese is very small, which ranges from 4.5-4.7%.
This
is because in the process, most of the lactose in the milk out with the
whey and the remaining is converted into lactic acid during the process
of maturation.
Therefore, cheese is the food safe for consumption by people with lactose intolerance and diabetes.