Helping cheese producers get more out of milk

The carbon footprint of cheese

There are several sources of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in making high-quality cheese for the worldwide market. The largest share, however, can be attributed to milk production at the dairy farm and is a direct result of methane emissions from dairy cows and manure as well as from nitrous oxide from fertilizers. With nearly 10 kilos of milk needed to produce 1 kilo of cheese, the carbon footprint of cheese quickly adds up.

As a result, a growing number of leading dairy companies are working closely with farmers to lower the carbon intensity of milk. There are many ways to do so – the farmers can alter the feed composition to reduce methane, manage fertilizer to limit excess nitrogen and continue aiming for more efficient milk production. Likewise, dairy companies are also looking for ways to optimize their production, e.g., by investing in energy optimization, changing their product mix, or through better utilization of waste streams. 

Getting more out of milk

One simple solution to helping cheese producers lower the carbon intensity of their cheese can be found in the core ingredient used to convert fluid milk into hard or soft cheeses, the so-called cheese coagulants. With our CHY-MAX^® coagulant series, we enable dairy companies worldwide to get more cheese out of each kilogram of milk:

"By converting to CHY-MAX^® Supreme, we have seen cheese producers obtain a better coagulation process compared to other coagulants in the market. This means that they need less milk to produce one kilo of cheese."

Soeren Herskind, Vice President, Cheese cultures

“For dairy companies and end-consumers concerned about the environment and the health profile of cheese, the CHY-MAX^®  series offers a number of benefits.”

Realizing the gains

CHY-MAX^® has developed into one of Chr. Hansen’s most popular cheese coagulant series and is already being used by dairy companies worldwide. And the gains can, according to Søren Herskind, be significant.

Our senior director of Corporate Affairs, Annemarie Meisling, concludes: “We see a strong potential in leveraging our microbial and fermentation technology platforms to help our customers reach their business and environmental goals, for example by choosing more sophisticated ingredients which can help them produce more with less.”