Panelists evaluate the flavor and melt characteristics of various cheeses.

Photo courtesy of Dairy Management Inc.

Obesity rates continue to soar, not only in the United States, but around the world. And although there are dual culprits–high–calorie diets and sedentary lifestyles–the finger of blame often points squarely at the food industry, especially manufacturers of soft drinks, candy and other sweets. This continues to present a challenge for the baking industry.

National and international health organizations advocate the consumption of fewer sweet snacks. A Scottish food standards agency published a report in March warning that children currently have too much sugar in their diets and urged Scottish children to reduce the amount of cakes and biscuits (cookies) they consume. The Weight-control Information Network (WIN), an information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institutes of Health, recommends less consumption of soft drinks and high-fat or high-calorie snack foods, such as chips, cookies and candy. “These snacks may be okay once in a while, but always keep healthy snack foods on hand. Offer the healthy snacks more often at snack times,” the agencies propone.

One way for wholesale bakers to create healthful snacks is by adding more dairy ingredients, including cheese, milk powders and whey protein. Many dairy ingredients are high in protein and could result in a “good source of protein” or a structure-function satiety claim. Another option, especially with a popular item, such as cheesecake, is to package the product in smaller serving sizes to maximize permissible indulgence. Dairy ingredients can help create the perfect marriage of healthfulness and indulgence.

Cheesy solutions

Dairy farmer-funded research shows cheese varieties run the gamut from common to sophisticated. “Cheese is highly regarded for its appetite appeal and delivery of sensory benefits. In focus groups, we found that consumers relate cheese with terms like fun, variety, versatile and social. Consumers also associate cheese with foods that are natural, wholesome, authentic and traditional,” explains Laura Gottchalk, vice president, strategic research, Dairy Management Inc., Rosemont, Ill.

Commercial Creamery, Spokane, Wash. still sells many of the same products it sold two generations ago, and Americans especially like cheddar, says Peter Gilmartin, vice president of the company. However, demand for artisan cheese is growing, he adds. “Artisan cheese is up and coming in the United States and abroad. Recently at a Research Chefs Association meeting in Seattle, we showed several artisan cheese powders including gouda, havarti and chevre (goat cheese).” Gilmartin notes a growing interest in chevre, which works especially well with artisan bread. The company's crumbettes of chevre are a good topping for bread because they retain their orange color.

Another area of growing interest for bakers is upgrading bread by adding natural cheeses, such as parmesan, romano, asiago, sharp cheddar or blends of these cheeses. “The soaring popularity of artisan cheeses is helping to sell artisan bread. The best and most common form of cheese used within bread loaves and bagels is diced or small cubes,” notes Kevin Delahunt, president, food ingredients division, Sargento Foods, Plymouth, Wis. For in-dough applications, Delahunt recommends 3/8-, 1/4-, or 5/8-in. dices. These cheeses are added during the final phase of the mixing process. “Natural cheeses are terrific in par-baked applications, which can be finished off in the oven in retail and foodservice establishments. Shredded cheese also can be added to the dough and is the best choice for topical applications,” Delahunt adds.

Asiago, for example, has a distinctive piquant flavor, and Panera Bread^® uses it in its specialty asiago cheese sourdough, three-cheese and focaccia breads. Other cheeses with relatively intense flavor profiles that complement grain-based products include aged cheddar, parmesan, romano and blue cheese. “One of the major technological advances has been in the melt and flow characteristics of natural cheeses. A number of cheeses don't melt and flow readily because of intrinsic characteristics of that cheese variety,” notes Dean Sommer, cheese and food technologist, Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, Madison, Wis. “Recently, we have discovered other technical means of inhibiting melt and flow of cheese varieties that under normal instances would melt and flow. These cheeses then can be used in grain-based food applications involving heat where the baker doesn't want the cheese to disappear into the grain matrix or blow out of the grain matrix.”