Emmental cheese

Emmental is a world-famous hard cheese with the typical large holes that many simply know as “Emmentaler”. The indication “45% fat in dry matter” means the cheese contains 45% fat relative to the dry matter. It sounds complicated but is easy to understand: cheese contains water and solid components. The fat content is calculated only on the solid components, i.e. without the water. An Emmental with 45% fat in dry matter tastes full-bodied but not too heavy, and is therefore very suitable for everyday use — for example on bread, for gratinating or as cheese cubes for a snack.

Origin and production
The original Emmentaler comes from the Emmental in Switzerland. It was already produced there centuries ago in alpine dairies. Today several countries produce Emmentaler in a similar way, for example Germany, France and Austria. Nevertheless there are differences:
- Swiss Emmentaler often has a protected designation (e.g. AOP — “Appellation d’Origine Protégée”), which means it is produced according to strict rules.
- German Emmentaler is frequently produced in modern dairies and is found in many supermarkets. It is usually a bit milder and more uniform in taste.
- French Emmental (often called “Emmental Grand Cru”) can be aged longer and therefore taste stronger.

Emmental cheese 45% fat in dry matter refers to a semi-hard to hard ripened cheese of Swiss origin that forms large, round holes (the so-called “cherry eyes”) through characteristic ripening with propionic acid bacteria. The indication “45% fat in dry matter” denotes the fat content in the dry matter, a parameter established in dairy science that, independent of the variable water content, describes the relative fat concentration of the cheese. Emmentaler of this fat level has a sensory mild-nutty, slightly sweet aroma that becomes more complex and piquant with increasing age.

Raw material and production principle
The raw material is cow's milk, used depending on tradition as raw milk or thermized/pasteurized milk. The standard process includes adjustment of pH, addition of defined starter cultures (lactococci, lactobacilli) and rennet for coagulation of milk proteins. After coagulation the curd is cut ("cheese grain"), heated and stirred to achieve targeted whey separation. The press curd is molded, salted (dry or brine) and then ripened for several weeks to months. Characteristic is the propionic fermentation phase, in which Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii converts lactate to propionic acid, acetic acid and carbon dioxide. The resulting CO2 forms the typical eyes; propionic acid and accompanying compounds shape the aroma.

Physicochemical properties
Emmental 45% fat in dry matter typically contains in the fresh substance about 26–30% water, 27–31% fat and 26–29% protein, depending on ripening and production variant. The pH after early ripening is around approx. 5.2–5.5 and rises moderately over time due to proteolytic and decarboxylative processes. The texture is elastic to cut-firm, with a homogeneous matrix and evenly distributed eyes of 1–3 cm diameter. Fat is present as an emulsion in a casein-based gel matrix; stability is influenced by calcium-phosphate