Water reduction with new IFF culture for cheese

The ingredients firm IFF, a maker of fragrances, food ingredients, health, and biosciences announced the launch of Choozit Lift, a culture developed to transform the production of semi-hard cheeses for sustainability and business benefits. The solution combines advanced strain design with practical cheese making knowledge to eliminate the curd-washing step from the process entirely. In doing so, the culture helps reduce water and energy use in production while maintaining the high quality of the final products to meet consumer expectations.

“The future of dairy production, including cheesemaking, is about achieving more with less – less water, less energy, less compromise. Choozit Lift helps combine the centuries-old craft of cheese making with bioscience to unlock that future,” said Annie Mornet, senior business product director for cheese at IFF. “Today’s producers face a tough balancing act: reducing costs, streamlining production processes, and reducing dependence on natural resources, while achieving greater outputs and maintaining quality. By removing curd washing from the process entirely, we’re transforming the way semi-hard cheese is made, both in principle and in practice.”

In traditional semi-hard cheese production, curd washing is a critical step used to control acidity and achieve the desired taste and texture. It involves rinsing the curd with water to remove excess lactose, preventing unwanted acid development. This step is water-intensive. Choozit Lift is a ready-to-use culture solution that combines different bacterial strains to naturally reduce the lactose level of whey, enabling cheese manufacturers to control post-acidification and reduce the risk of excessive acid development, ensuring a homogenous taste with no bitterness. This, in turn, eliminates the need for curd washing.

It has been successfully validated through trials with cheese makers to ensure efficacy. Data show that by using Choozit Lift to produce one kilogram of semi-hard cheese, manufacturers can save three litres of water, making processes more cost- and energy-efficient without compromising quality. For plants producing 10,000 tons of semi-hard cheese per year, this product could save an average of 25,000 cubic metres of water annually. Plus, with no whey dilution required, Choozit Lift also enables lower costs associated with whey treatment, including energy usage, storage capacity, and transportation.

In addition to the direct economic benefits, removing the water-intensive curd-washing step reduces the environmental footprint of operations and final products, offering cheese producers an effective way to meet growing demand for sustainable products. It also helps maintain consistent product quality during seasonal water shortages, ensuring reliable and efficient production.

“Our focus is to understand customer needs and provide solutions that make a real, measurable difference in our customers’ operations. Choozit Lift, represents a new frontier in cheese production, and we’re excited to collaborate with customers to maximise its impact,” said Rossana Rodriguez, global business director for dairy biosciences at IFF. “With semi-hard cheeses like Gouda accounting for almost 30% of all industrial cheese produced every year, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact at scale, both for businesses and the planet, while preserving the high quality that defines great cheese.”