Nutrient Content in Cheese
Cheese is one of the most nutrient-dense foods. The primary ingredients by weight are water, protein, and fat, and these nutrients vary in concentration according to the cheese. A pound of cheese is equivalent in protein and fat to approximately 1 gallon of milk. Cheeses with higher moisture levels are less concentrated in their nutrients than those containing less moisture. On average, 1 ounce of cheese (a 1.25 inch cube or a packaged slice of pasteurized process cheese) provides about 100 calories (kcal), most of which are derived from fat.
Fat. Fat is responsible for much of the satiety value, flavor, and texture of cheese. It is the fat content of milk, which is otherwise rather bland in taste, that is acted upon during ripening to result in a cheese with a very distinct flavor. The fat in cheeses averages 9 grams per ounce (primarily saturated fat), which is equivalent to two pats of butter. Cholesterol content averages 25 mg per ounce, but ranges from 0 mg in pot cheese to 40 mg per ounce in gouda cheese. Dietary fat from cheese can be reduced by using less cheese or by using lower-fat options.
Lower-Fat Cheeses. The American Heart Association and the National Cholesterol Education Program define a low-fat cheese as one containing no more than 6 grams of fat per ounce. In addition, cholesterol should not exceed 20 mg, and sodium should be below 500 mg per serving. Only a few cheeses qualify as very low in fat, at less than 2 grams per ounce. These are gammelost, a semisoft blue cheese;sapsago, a hard-textured, pungently flavored, high-sodium cheese; and baker’s, pot, or hoop cheese. The two most common fat-free (nonfat) milk cheeses available are ricotta and mozzarella. Replacing some of the fat in cheese with Simplesse, a fat replacer, reduces the fat content to 3 grams per ounce. Another fat-reducing option is yogurt cheese, which contains only 1 gram of fat per ounce and is made by draining yogurt of its whey. Yogurt cheese is an excellent substitute for cheeses normally used to make cheesecake or other high-fat foods, because it lowers the fat and takes on the other ingredients’ flavors.
A problem with using lower-fat cheeses is that fat is important to texture and flavor, so reducing its levels in a cheese can result in a product with a rubbery texture and either no flavor or off-flavors. One reason that low-fat cheeses taste different is that their increased moisture content, resulting from decreased fat content, is more conducive to the growth of natural bacteria, which can produce compounds yielding flavors that are brothy, meaty, and bitter. Fat also masks certain off-flavors such as the bitter compounds produced from protein breakdown, which are detected when fat is reduced.
In addition to flavor differences, many reduced-fat cheeses behave differently when heated, which sometimes makes it difficult to substitute them in recipes calling for full-fat cheeses. Fat also contributes to the smooth, lubricated texture of full-fat cheese by breaking up the protein matrix. Removing this fat leaves more protein and increases its influence on texture.
Protein. Since cheese is of animal origin, its protein is complete and of high quality. One ounce of cheese contains approximately 7 grams of protein, equivalent to that in a cup (8 ounces) of milk or 1 ounce of meat (7 grams). Long before protein was recognized as an essential nutrient by food and nutrition scientists, cheese was being used as a meat substitute by monks in monasteries.
Carbohydrate. Cheese contains very little carbohydrate because most of the lactose, the primary carbohydrate in milk, is drained off with the whey, with any remaining lactose converted to lactic acid. With the lactose largely gone, some people with lactase deficiency (lactose intolerance) can consume cheese with no ill effects. Ripened cheeses such as Swiss and cheddar are often suitable for lactase-deficient individuals, but processed cheese are usually not, because milk or whey is frequently added to them.
Vitamins. When whole milk is used to make cheese, the fat-soluble vitamins A and D remain in the curd, but many of the milk’s water-soluble vitamins are drained off in the whey. Only about one-fourth of the riboflavin (vitamin B2) and one-sixth of the thiamin (vitamin B1) remain in cheddar cheese, while much of the milk’s original niacin, viatmin B6, vitamin B12, biotin, pantothenic acid, and folate drain off with the whey.
Minerals. Cheese has a high concentration of calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. One ounce of cheese contains approximately 200 ml of calcium, while 1 cup of milk contains 300 mg. Calcium content will vary depending on whether the cheese was coagulated with enzymes or acid: enzyme-coagulated cottage cheese contains twice the calcium than acid-coagulated cheese. Cheese often has a high concentration of sodium, because salt is frequently added during manufacturing to aid in the process of ripening and to contribute to flavor. The amount of salt added to cheese varies widely, and low-sodium cheeses are available. Processed cheese products tend to be especially high in sodium, averaging 400 mg per ounce.
