The Fondue Fiasco: Using NIR to Monitor Cheese Blending
Deep in the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, England, home of the skeletal remains of the Cheddar Man from 9000 BC, another man of cheese is making a name for himself. Master cheesemaker extraordinaire Cedric Curdwell runs The Melting Pot, renowned for crafting the smoothest fondue and the creamiest cream cheese. Cedric was proud, a perfectionist with a nose sharper than the ripest brie. For years, he had created his cheese blends guided by nothing other than his keen senses. However, today, things were not going as planned.
Wearing his signature cheddar-colored apron, Cedric paces furiously around the mixing vat of fondue; his brow furrowed with frustration. The once perfectly creamy, tangy fondue has taken on an unwelcome, grainy texture. The cream cheese? Less smooth, more like something a cat might cough up. And no matter how he tweaks the ingredients, the cheese refuses to cooperate.
“This cheese… It’s revolting!” he mutters, poking the stubborn blob with a ladle. “Too firm! Too bland! Too… wrong!
All he wants is for his fondue to melt in all its velvety glory. But today, the cheese has other plans. Cedric goes to his drawer, opens the box marked “In Case of Emergency,” and removes the slip of paper from inside; the words “Food Detectives” are underlined three times. He grabs a nearby phone and dials the number.
Meanwhile, back at the detective’s office, Nancy Beef explains how she calmed down Sir Loin of Wellington by reducing his skyrocketing analysis costs. As Cornlumbo asks Nancy if she bought back any tasty treats for the detectives to analyze, the phone rings. “Shallot Holmes speaking, what seems to be the problem?”
“Oh, thank goodness!” says Cedric in a panicked tone. “It’s my cheese! It’s—it’s gone rogue! My fondue is a flop, and my cream cheese won't please. I only changed a few small things. Please, I need help before my customers taste this disaster.”
“Where are you based?” asks Holmes. “I’m located at Cheddar Gorge, but no one will want to gorge on my Cheddar unless we can get it fixed," says Cedric. Cheddar Gorge is only a short train journey from the detective's office, so Holmes decides that they should all visit the customer.
As the Food Detectives arrive at The Melting Pot, Cedric is by the door, wringing his hands. “Thank you for coming so quickly!” he exclaims, leading them inside to the bubbling cauldrons of fondue. “It’s never been like this before! My fondue is separating; the cream cheese is gritty—my customers will riot!”
Miss Mapple investigates the large fondue vat, “Hmm,” she says, squinting. “It looks like your casein micelles are rebelling.”
“My what?”
Shallot Holmes explains, “Casein micelles are like little clusters of proteins in the milk. Normally, they float around happily, covered with a layer of negatively charged k-casein that keeps them from sticking together.”
Cedric looks confused. “And why is that a problem?”
“It’s not—until you want them to stick together,” Cornlumbo chimes in. “When you make cheese, you want those micelles to stick. That’s what gives the cheese its structure. The problem here is, well, your casein micelles are doing their own thing. They’re not coagulating properly.”
“Exactly,” says Eggcule. “In fondue and cream cheese, coagulation is the key step where everything comes together. Without it, you’ve got nothing but a soupy, grainy mess. Casein is critical during the initial cheese formation, especially if you want your cheese to curd well, Mr. Curdwell.”
“So, how do I make them behave?” says Cedric, groaning.
“Well,” Miss Mapple says, “you’ve got a couple of options. You can use acid to neutralize the charges and get the micelles to stick together, which works great for things like cottage cheese or chèvre. Or, you could use enzymes, like rennet, to shave off the k-casein layer—then the micelles have nothing stopping them from sticking.”
“Without rennet, your casein micelles are bouncing off each other like a bunch of hyperactive kids at a playground,” Cornlumbo added. “No cohesion, no cheese.”
Cedric scratches his head. “I’ve been using acid and enzymes, but nothing works! The textures are all over the place, especially with these new cheese blends I’m experimenting with.”
Holmes raises an eyebrow. “Ah, blending different cheeses can be tricky. Each type has different fat content, moisture levels, and coagulation behaviors. Gruyère, for example, has a high moisture content, while Cheddar has a lot more fat. You must balance these parameters during the blend.”
Nancy Beef leans in, “And don’t forget about heat. Too much heat can denature your whey proteins, making them stick to the casein in ways you don’t want.”
As the detectives continue troubleshooting the case, bombarding Cedric with science, Miss Mapple notices Cedric still looks anxious.
“I’ve always relied on my instincts and senses to bend the cheese to my will; I never worried myself with the chemistry, and caseins, and enzymes, and whatnot. When I need to know the protein content for my labels, I send my cheese to a lab,” says Cedric.
Miss Mapple smiles. “Never fear; there’s always a solution. We just need to pop a little food detective to watch over your blend, test it, and tell you what’s what during the process.”
“I’ll happily volunteer,” says Cornlumbo, dipping his finger into the fondue mix and tasting it. “I can sit here all day tasting cheese and giving you feedback.”
“I think even you would struggle to analyze the quantities of cheese that Cedric produces, Cornlumbo!” says Miss Mapple. “No, what’s needed here is an Online NIR process analyzer. It’s like having a high-tech cheese detective watching over your blending process.”
Cedric’s eyes widened. “An analyzer?”
“Exactly,” says Holmes. “An NIR Online process analyzer measures parameters like fat content and total solids in real-time. It uses diffuse reflection to track the key components of your blend as it’s happening. You can install it at the bottom of the blending chamber or in the piping with a Varinline adapter. With its 900-1700 nm wavelength range, it can simultaneously measure your product’s composition—fat, solids, salt, and even pH—continuously. That way, if your casein micelles are misbehaving, or your fat content is off, you’ll know instantly and can make the adjustments before it’s too late.”
“It’ll ensure your total solids and fat content are within strict recipe specifications and save you from relying on slow lab tests. No more guessing and no more grainy textures,” says Eggcule Poirot.
“And it doesn’t just help with quality,” says Nancy Beef. “It also cuts down on production time, optimizes your energy use, and reduces the chances of having to rework bad batches. In other words, it boosts your margins.”
Cedric is filled with nervous excitement about having even more control over his production and asks the detectives if they can help him set everything up. The detectives explain the importance of calibrating the instruments and help him on his way.
“I’m not sure how I can thank you, detectives. I’m sure my cheese will be better than ever,” says Cedric.
“No need to thank us, Cedric; it’s all in a day’s work,” Holmes says, tipping his detective hat. “Remember, in the world of cheese, science is the secret ingredient.”
“Or you could just give us a fondue abonnement for the winter months…” Cornlumbo mutters as Miss Mapple puts her hands tightly over his lips.