Author Topic: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan  (Read 3715 times)

mjr522

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Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« on: June 17, 2016, 02:02:40 AM »


This is the parmesan I made in March of last year (1 of only 2 cheeses I made last year  :(). I opened it up a couple weeks ago when I had some friends over. I guess I  forgot to tell it that it was supposed to become a parmesan. Instead, it has a very distinct fruity flavor, and makes my mouth numb. It's kind of like sucking on a chloraseptic lozenge for a few seconds. My wife said it feels more like the effect caused by sucking on a lemon drop. The friends we had over didn't notice any strange mouth sensations, and everyone (except my wife) liked it well enough--but particularly those who didn't know it was supposed to be a parmesan.

What causes fruity flavors? What causes numbing sensations? (I've experienced this from other cheeses, too--commercial ones, not homemade)

I used raw milk, NEC thermo blend, and calf lipase.

MrsKK

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2016, 03:10:19 PM »
I've no answers to your questions, but it sure looks good.

I've got about 1/2 of a wheel of Parmesan left, one that I made in November of '14.  Why, oh why, didn't I make more in the meantime?  I'm really loving the sharp intensity of the long aging.

Offline scasnerkay

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2016, 10:08:26 PM »
Do you think it might be the lipase? How much did you use?
Susan

Offline Bantams

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2016, 10:53:09 PM »
My guess is that you're experiencing some butyric acid.
That could come from too little salt, over-culturing (or wrong culture), or using milk from cows that were on silage.  Milk from ketotic cows may also have higher levels of butyric acid.

Offline Bantams

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2016, 11:18:03 PM »
Oh, and using milk that is too high in fat (for Parm styles) is probably the most likely cause. 
Finely grating the cheese will reduce the impact a little bit, but it's definitely a frustrating issue!
« Last Edit: June 21, 2016, 01:58:34 AM by Bantams »

Offline Fritz

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2016, 04:46:37 AM »
Are we sure that little bag of white powder was actually lipase !  ;) jk

I'm just binge watching "Narcos" ...and that was the first thing that came to mind ...

AnnDee

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2016, 05:27:34 AM »
Are we sure that little bag of white powder was actually lipase !  ;) jk

I'm just binge watching "Narcos" ...and that was the first thing that came to mind ...

Haha, I love Narcos too, I watched it on netflix.

mjr522

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2016, 06:34:17 PM »
I'll have to do some investigation into butyric acid. Definitely too high fat content for a parm, though. I knew that going in (I didn't want to bother with removing any of the cream), but didn't figure it would be that big of a deal. Lesson learned...

I did wonder if it was the lipase--since I've only used it once before. I'll have to look at my records when I get home to see how much I used.

mjr522

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2016, 12:25:01 AM »
I checked my record. This was a 15 gallon make, and I added 1 tsp of lipase. The contained said to do 1/4 tsp for up to 3 gallons, so I'm a little under their recommendation.

Frodage3

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #9 on: July 20, 2016, 02:49:20 AM »
I've read that some people can really taste the lipase - either the enzyme itself or the reaction products. As for fruity - I always think of esters. But would the lipase cleave the esters into acids/alcohols? Are you sure the lipase was active? Just ideas.

mjr522

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2016, 01:58:53 AM »
Frodage3--sounds like you know a lot more about lipase than I do. At some point I'll need to do some more research on it...

My other cheeses have this same, what I'm assuming is, butyric acid flavor. I cut into a Monterrey Jack made with this milk that is only a couple months old, and it has a much less intense version of the same flavor. I won't be working with that milk any more. With that said, this parm is the only one with the fruity taste, so I do wonder if that flavor came from the lipase and the excess fat content.

Offline awakephd

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Re: Mouth Numbing, fruity Parmesan
« Reply #11 on: July 28, 2016, 03:37:27 PM »
Based on my wealth of experience - aka, the grand total of two well-aged cheeses that I have made with lipase :) - I would not think the lipase is the culprit, or at least not by itself. My two lipase cheeses, both aged > 1 year, have a very strong flavor, but definitely not the mouth-numbing feel. I wouldn't describe the flavor as fruity, but the smell does have a certain "sharp-sweet" character to it.
-- Andy