Technical Articles
What’s the significance of lipases in cheesemaking?
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods | October 2025
Lipases are enzymes that are naturally found in the digestive tracts of animals, including humans, and they help break down and digest fats like triglycerides, releasing “free” fatty acids.
ViewThe rise of specialty cheese in Wisconsin
By John Lucey
Cheese Market News | September 2025
Wisconsin recently celebrated a major milestone: 1 billion pounds of specialty cheeses were produced in the state in 2024. More than half of the nation’s specialty cheese is now crafted in Wisconsin, according to data from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). So, how did Wisconsin become the leader in U.S. specialty cheese?
ViewEmerging benefits of cheese for healthy aging
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods Magazine | August 2025
For thousands of years, people of all ages, across various cultures, have eaten cheese for its great taste and versatility in food products. It is also well recognized that cheese contains essential nutrients like protein, minerals, and vitamins while containing very little, if any, lactose. While researchers have extensively explored the flavor, texture and functional properties (like melt, stretch and sliceability) of cheese, new research is now showing potential health benefits to eating cheese, especially for people as they age.
ViewWhat are protective cultures and other bio-preservative approaches?
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods Magazine | April 2025
Protective cultures are an emerging and growing area in the food industry, including for use in dairy products. Among other benefits, they can help reduce food waste and spoilage. In yogurt and cheese applications, we use starter cultures to produce lactic acid. However, protective cultures aren’t added to produce acid and help with the fermentation; they instead can provide some degree of protection against pathogens and spoilage organisms.
ViewRaw milk is having a moment
By John Lucey
Cheese Market News | April 2025
I have written before about the risks of raw milk consumption but, due to rumors of a change in federal regulations by the current administration that would greatly expand the sale of raw milk, I want to dig even deeper into some of the false claims being used to promote the consumption of raw milk.
ViewImpact of the avian flu outbreak in cattle for dairy processing
By John Lucey
Dairy Foods Magazine | January 2025
Early last Spring, some dairy cows, initially in Texas, started to get ill. The cows’ symptoms included dehydration and increased temperature. They also stopped ruminating and their milk production plummeted. Farmers didn’t know the cause of the illness. Then, cats on these farms began to get ill and/or die after drinking raw milk from these cows. Testing on these cats confirmed that they had a strain of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. It was a major surprise that this virus had jumped to cattle, and how this occurred is unknown. We do know that this virus is in migratory wildfowl.
View