Enzymes
Chr.Hansen is able to supply a full range of coagulants. It is within this particular segment that we have our longest track record, having supplied rennet for over 125 years. We have adapted our range to fit your needs, linking tradition with research and innovation.
Chr. Hansen's coagulant range:
- NATUREN®: Animal rennet (calf and/or bovine)
- CHY-MAX®: Chymosin produced by fermentation
- MICROLANTTM: Microbial coagulants
These three groups have varying characteristics for proteolytic activity, heat lability and sensitivity to changes in pH, temperature and CaCl2. Traditionally, calf rennet has been regarded as the ideal cheese coagulant because of its highly specific milk clotting activity. CHY-MAX® shares this characteristic and is rapidly winning ground all over the world to be the preferred choice of cheese-makers. Enzymatic specificity is an important consideration in the selection of coagulants for cheesemaking. Chymosin provides the best production yields and the lowest probability of off-flavor development of any of the proteolytic enzymes.
The last two groups, CHY-MAX® and MICROLANTTM, are approved for use in kosher, halal and vegetarian products. CHY-MAX® is also available in a kosher quality approved for Passover. This opens up completely new opportunities for you.
On top of that, we can demonstrate the effect each of these coagulants has on your yield. This may not be more than a fraction of a percentage point - but sufficient to make a measurable impact on the bottom-line result for your business. You should, for example, be able to achieve an improvement of around 0.5% in yield by switching from a microbial coagulant to our very specific CHY-MAX or to a high chymosin NATUREN type.
Being a full-range supplier we can give you objective advice designed to achieve the optimal solution for your particular process. But optimization of production is not simply a question of enhancing the yield from a specific quantity of milk. The characteristics of the end product are at least as significant. For instance, side activity is an important issue, particularly when your cheese or whey is used as an ingredient in other products.
Whey is often a significant additional source of profit in cheese-making. Highly nutritious, it is a valuable ingredient in a wide range of foods. However, for whey of the right quality to be produced, it is important to select exactly the right coagulant for your cheese-making.
Consistent clotting activity, specific proteolytic activity, side activity, yield, maturation, flavor and texture, whey, certification - all in all there are over 30 interactive parameters to be taken into consideration when choosing the right coagulant. It is a complicated jigsaw but we offer you our expertise to help you solve it.
Other enzymes
Chr. Hansen can offer other types of enzymes also:
Lipase
Lipase specifically composes butter fat during formation of free fatty acids, which are of great importance to the development of the aroma, which are necessary for the further decomposing into eg methylketones and other strongly aromatic compounds. Cheeses which use lipase during their manufacture are Feta, Romano, Pecorino, Parmesan, Asiago, blue and many others.
Chr. Hansen offers calf lipase with shelf life 14 months.
Lactase
Lactase, a Beta-galactosidase enzyme, promotes the hydrolysis of lactose, converting it into glucose and galactose. This enzyme is used widely in dairy industry for population with lactose intolerance. Once the lactose is broken down to simple sugars through hydrolysis, the product is easily digested.
Chr. Hansen offers lactase Ha-LactaseTM with shelf life 6 months.
Lisozyme
Lisozyme is used to protect against late blowing of cheese. This enzyme effectively inhibit bacteria that cause late blowing, eg Clostridium tyrobutyricum. During production of cheese the bacteriological standard of the milk used is of great importance for the quality of the cheese. Some microorganisms may cause blowing, which quickly becomes visible in either the fresh cheese or later during storage. Lisozyme has the ability to hydrolyze linkages in the outer membrane of bacteria, in particular gram-positive organisms, and the bacteria are thereby destroyed.
Chr. Hansen offers lisozyme AfilactTM for protection against late blowing of cheese. AfilactTM can be used in place of other artificial preservatives, such as nitrates, and no large capital expenditures required.
Nisine
Nisin is a natural antimicrobial agent used as a preservative in heat processed and low pH foods. Nisin possesses antimicrobial activity against the majority of Gram positive organisms including many of those bacteria that produce spores. Nisin inhibits the outgrowth of spores and causes lysis of vegetative cells. Important spore formers that are inhibited include Clostridium botulinum, the causative organism of botulism, and the extremely heat resistant spoilage organisms such as Bacillus stearothermophilus, Clostridium sporogenes and Clostridium thermossacharolyticum. Furthermore, nisin restricts the growth of the pathogenic organisms Listeria monocytogenes.
Chr. Hansen offers nisine CHRISIN® with shelf life 2 years.
Chr. Hansen representative in Lithuania - PĮ "Baltvita".