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Colorants In Cheese Manufacture: Production, Chemistry, Interactions, And Regulation, Prateek Sharma, Annalisa Segat, Alan L. Kelly, Jeremiah J. Sheehan

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Colored Cheddar cheeses are prepared by adding an aqueous annatto extract (norbixin) to cheese milk; however, a considerable proportion (∼20%) of such colorant is transferred to whey, which can limit the end use applications of whey products. Different geographical regions have adopted various strategies for handling whey derived from colored cheeses production. For example, in the United States, whey products are treated with oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide and benzoyl peroxide to obtain white and colorless spray‐dried products; however, chemical bleaching of whey is prohibited in Europe and China. Fundamental studies have focused on understanding the interactions between colorants …