Cheese is a food that has been prepared and savoured for millennia. Its chemistry has been investigated since the nineteenth century, and a clear picture of the processes that occur when milk is converted to cheese has emerged over the years. This book describes these processes, including recent developments, as follows.

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the chemistry of cheese. Starter cultures and coagulants are added to milk to start the process, which are covered in Chapter 2. Nonstarter lactic acid bacteria are also responsible for cheese ripening, as described in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 details the entire process of cheese manufacture and Chapter 5 focuses on the intricate chemistry of ripening. Accelerated ripening techniques, which follow in Chapter 6, allow cheesemakers to get their product to market faster and are constantly being explored. The chemistry behind flavour development is also an ongoing area of research and is outlined in Chapter 7. The microstructure of the cheese matrix changes as the product ripens, which is demonstrated in Chapter 8. These changes affect the rheology and texture of cheese, which is explained in Chapter 9. The cheesemaking procedures used by artisans as opposed to large companies lead to noticeably different results as detailed in Chapter 10. Chapter 11 summarizes the data on cheese production, consumption, and nutrition of cheeses made from the milks of cows and other mammals. The trend toward non-dairy cheese production is described in Chapter 12 along with the chemistry underlying these products.

This volume encompasses the chemistry of all aspects of the cheesemaking process. The references to the literature, over 1300 in total, will provide further information to the interested reader. The authors and I hope that this book will expand your understanding of this fascinating field.

Michael H. Tunick

Drexel University