Nutrition and cheese
Energetic value :
Our daily energy need depends, among other things, on gender, weight, age and level of exercise. Despite our differences, the average recommendation is as follows: for an adult man, 2,400 to 2,600 calories per day and for an adult woman, it is 1,800 to 2,200 calories, a third (30%) of calories must be provided by lipids (fat ), a little more than half (55%) of the calories must come from carbohydrates; one sixth (15%) from protein.
The terms calories and kcal are used interchangeably and refer to the same amount of energy in relation to food or energy burned with exercise. Therefore, you don’t need to convert them, as 1 kilocalorie equals 1 calorie in nutrition. Calories are also expressed as kilojoules (kJ). One calorie (kcal) equals 4.18 kJ or 4,184 joules .
The energy value of cheese highly depends on its water content. This can vary from 150 kcal for a 100 g portion of chevre frais ( high in water ), to 450 kcal for a 100g portion of Hard Cooked Pressed cheese such as Comté ( lower in water ).
Fat or fatty acids:
Fatty acids, which constitute the basic units of lipids ( written fat on your products notes ), are classified into three families: saturated, unsaturated (some are called “essential”) and trans ( there are no trans fats in cheese so I will ignore them as you should ). They should represent about 30% of the food ration.
Saturated fatty acids
They are mainly found in fats of animal origin such as butter, crème fraîche, cheese, lard or bacon. They are also found in certain tropical vegetable oils (palm oil, for example) and in food products made from these sources of fat such as pastries, cold meats. Saturated fats have a bad reputation and there is no doubt saturated fats in foods do raise LDL cholesterol yet there is one exception to this rule. Consumption of dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cream, and cheese, has not been shown to increase LDL cholesterol, nor lead to an increase in cardiovascular risk, they may even be beneficial. The reason why cheese seems effective when it comes to LDL cholesterol may be due to the structural effects of its nutrients that prevent saturated fats from being digested and absorbed properly by our gut.
Unsaturated fatty acids
Unsaturated fatty acids are polyunsaturated or monounsaturated. Monounsaturated fatty acids (omega-9) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) tend to protect against cardiovascular disease. They are mainly present in plant products or fatty fish such as sardines, herring, tuna or salmon but also in cheese.
Lipolysis:
It is the breaking down of fat by enzymes or heat treatment which releases free fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential aroma compounds in the flavour of many cheeses. Lipolysis occurs at a faster rate in raw milk cheeses, in which milk native enzymes remain active, than in pasteurized milk cheeses. It continues as the cheese ages and it is highly controlled to avoid the creation of undesired flavours. It is responsible for the goat flavour developing in chevre as it ages.
Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are the body's main source of quickly usable energy. We distinguish between complex carbohydrates (starchy foods, rice, pasta, bread, etc.) and simple carbohydrates (sugars, candies, jams, sweet products, etc.). They should represent about 55% of the food ration, with a larger share given to complex carbohydrates.
Lactose:
It is the main complex carbohydrate in dairy. Other types of sugars are also present, but in trace amounts. Like other carbohydrates, it is a preferred “fuel” for the brain and muscles. However, it has an additional nutritional advantage: it optimizes the proper use of dairy calcium by the body, by increasing its absorption in the intestine. It promotes the assimilation of dairy proteins.
Lactose is made up of two molecules: one of glucose and one of galactose. During digestion, lactose is split in two by lactase, an enzyme naturally present in the intestine (it is this lactase that is lacking in cases of lactose intolerance). Once separated, galactose and glucose can be assimilated by the intestine. In the digestive tract, it will also have a prebiotic effect favouring populations of bifido and lactobacteria compared to putrefactive flora.
Lactose contents vary depending on the dairy products, they can have concentrations varying from up to 6% in yogurts, even though partly degraded by microorganisms, to 0% or traces in matured cheeses like Comté making them rather safe for lactose intolerants.
Glycolysis:
Also known as fermentation, it refers to the conversion of lactose into lactic acid. Lactose (milk sugar) is converted into lactic acid. Glycolysis ends a few days after the beginning of manufacture, as lactose is exhausted by Lactic Acid Bacteria and other cheese microorganisms. It is an essential part of flavour development in cheese.
Proteins:
Milk proteins are generally classified into two groups, They should represent about 15% of the food ration.
-Caseins:
They are insoluble milk proteins, there are 4 of them (αs1, αs2, β, κ) and represent approximately 80% of cow's milk proteins. αs1-casein is the one protein most associated with milk allergy ( careful not confuse allergy and intolerance ).
Serum proteins:
They are soluble, the two main ones are β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin, they are of blood origin (serum albumin, immunoglobulin, etc.) The smell of coagulating milk does remind of the smell of coagulating blood!
Amino acids: They are the building blocks of proteins. They are necessary for the growth and maintenance of our cells and tissues. Proteins are made up of chains of many different amino acids of which there are up to 150. They are classified into essential and non-essential. As their name suggests, essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body and must therefore come from our diet. These nine essential amino acids are: tryptophan, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, leucine, isoleucine and histidine. These nine amino acids are found in all foods, but never together, except in a few ones including cheese and meat. Cheese can therefore be an alternative to meat ( see Maroilles ).
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends that adults consume at least 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight per day (e.g. 58 g per day for a 70 kg adult).
Proteolysis:
These proteins are broken down during the ripening of cheese in a process called proteolysis triggered by enzymes called protease found naturally in milk ( plasmine ), in rennet ( Chymosin & pepsin ) but produced too by micro-organisms, bacteria, yeasts and mould. Proteolysis is extremely variable in rate, depending on the heat treatment of milk, the proteolytic activity of milk coagulant, the proteolytic activity of LAB starter cultures and the proteolytic activity of adjunct fungal or bacterial cultures. It continues all along the cheese aging. The breaking down of proteins and release of amino acids is an integral part of the creation of flavour compounds in cheese.
Minerals ( elements ) and vitamins:
Minerals: Cheese is a source of minerals such as phosphorus (essential for cell functioning), magnesium (which helps fight stress), potassium (which promotes the proper functioning of the nervous system), sodium (prevents cramps , insomnia and dehydration) and calcium ( essential for strong bones and teeth ), in varying quantities depending on the variety of cheese. A 3 cm cube of hard cheese like Comté or blue cheese like Bleu des Causses has 245 mg of calcium. Cheese is also the leading source of zinc in the adult diet.
vitamins:
Cheese provides a wide range of crucial vitamins (A, B6, B12, D, and K), it is an interesting source of water-soluble B group vitamins (essential for the synthesis of blood and nerve cells) and as well as fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, which promotes growth, vision, good tissue health, our immune defences and helps prevent cancer.
Cheese is a nutrient-dense dairy food, providing fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Cheese provides “full calories”, unlike certain foods, and can therefore form part of a balanced healthy diet!