DSM claims that the global launch of its Maxiren Gold 100 per cent chymosin will allow dairy groups to specifically target growing demand for preservative-free products, while offering consistent and stable enzymatic activity.
Ardy van Erp, DSM's dairy enzyme product manager, said the product responded similarly, in terms of coagulation time and in its reaction to temperature and pH levels, to calf rennet.
"A key differentiator is that Maxiren Gold has the longest guaranteed shelf life available today without the need for benzoate," she stated. "This enables manufacturers to make preservative-free claims throughout the whole production chain - fulfilling both consumers and retailers' demands."
Clean label
The group said that the pure chymosin product, which is used to separate milk into curds and whey for further processing, was not its only foray into clean label dairy ingredients.
DSM said it also has launched a preservative-free microbial rennet, as opposed to Maxiren Gold, which is a pure chymosin that is added to the milk. Produced from the strain Saccharomyces (Kluveromyces) lactis, it has strong applications in dairy production. It is this yeast that the group claims it has been able to isolate and modify for use as an ingredient in all varieties of cheese.
A spokesperson for the company told DairyReporter.com that in terms of cost difference to non-clean label products, Maxiren Gold was generally in line with other coagulants.
Cheese market
The coagulant's purported cost and performance benefits could prove particularly important for the current dairy industry, which is being forced to increasingly improve efficiency within manufacturing.
In the market for cheese, prices were found to have peaked back in December 2007 before slightly falling in recent months, according to findings released in May by DIN Consultancy.
Cheddar cheese value increased by $1,500/tonne over the last year to $5,100, though has remained unchanged during the last month.