(https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13418799_919193151539459_4892227419289533137_n.jpg?oh=8a6db553cf5558ade7ed50576f3a7906&oe=57D449F8)
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.
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.
Do you think it might be the lipase? How much did you use?
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.
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!
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 ...
Quote from: Fritz 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 ...
Haha, I love Narcos too, I watched it on netflix.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.