Nutritional value of cheese

The essence of cheese making is the coagulation of milk and its conversion from a colloidal dispersion into a gel known as curd, and the subsequent release of water in the form of whey.

The cheese-makers have to ensure that the cheese is an edible, acceptable, marketable and nutritious food. 

Nowadays, the consumer has become more away of food composition and the risks – real or imaginary – that may associated with excessive intakes of certain components in foods.

Cheese has a high nutritional value as would be expected from the fact that a pint or 568 mL of milk produces only about 56 g cheese.

Cheese made from whole milk is known to contain most of the essential fatty acids.

The daily protein requirement for adults is approximately 1g/kg, of body weight so that, for a person weighing 70 kg, the daily requirements would be about 70 g of protein.

All cheese is a good source of high quality proteins with sufficient amounts of all the essential amino acids. Casein is the main protein in cheese, it contains all the indispensible amino acids in approximately the proportions that the human body needs.

Cheese is rich source of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A and also contains useful quantities of other nutrients.

All cheeses, except cottage cheese, are good sources of vitamin A. Orange and yellow cheeses are colored with carotenoid pigments, including bixin (the carotenoid pigment in anatto) and synthetic beta-carotene. 

Hard cheeses are an excellent source of calcium: softer cheeses are a good source; cream cheese and cottage cheese are poor source.

It is much more concentrated food than milk but it less complete because of its lack of carbohydrate.

45 g of cheddar cheese contains:
Energy                769 kJ
Protein               11.5 g
Carbohydrate     0.05 g
Fat                     15.5 g
Calcium              324 mg
Iron                    0.1 mg

50 g cottage cheese contains:
Energy                207 kJ
Protein                6.9 g
Carbohydrate     1.1 g
Fat                     2 g
Calcium              35 mg
Iron                    0.2 mg
Nutritional value of cheese