IFF's culture for semi-hard cheese production helps cut use of water, energy

IFF, a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health, and biosciences—announced the launch of CHOOZIT^® LIFT, a first-of-its-kind culture developed to transform the production of semi-hard cheeses for significant sustainability and business benefits. Leveraging the company’s extensive bioscience expertise, the solution combines advanced strain design with practical cheesemaking knowledge to eliminate the curd-washing step from the process entirely. In doing so, this novel culture helps reduce water and energy use in production while maintaining the high quality of the final products to meet consumer expectations.

When semi-hard cheese producers use the culture, CHOOZIT^® LIFT, they can eliminate curd washing, a water-intensive step in the process. (Photo: IFF)

“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 cheesemaking with cutting-edge 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.

CHOOZIT^® LIFT has been successfully validated through trials with cheesemakers to ensure efficacy. Data show that by using CHOOZIT^® LIFT to produce 1 kilogram of semi-hard cheese, manufacturers can save 3 liters 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 meters 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 maximize 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.”

For more information on CHOOZIT^® LIFT, visit us here.