Saturday, August 23, 2014

How much lactose really is in cheese?

I'm borrowing the link from Judy Schad, as this is an important issue in the Confidential household. The missus is lactose intolerant, and several years ago, Will Eaves (formerly of Lotsa Pasta) informed us that many cheeses would do no harm, as explained below.

Knowing this has opened possibilities for her. She's still not a prolific cheese-eater like me. If not for the language, I could be a Frenchman insofar as cheese is concerned. However, it makes dining easier.

Got lactose? (Janet Fletcher's Planet Cheese)

... But here’s what many lactose-intolerant people don’t know: When milk is coagulated for cheese, 98 percent of the lactose is removed with the whey. And in all but a few cheeses—high-salt ones like feta—the remaining lactose is quickly consumed by bacteria in the cheese.

“I can confidently say that bacteria-ripened, surface-ripened or mold-ripened cheeses that are not known for an intense salty flavor (think feta) will not present a problem for lactose-intolerant consumers,” Jeff told me. “By the time these cheeses reach store shelves, residual lactose will have been fermented by the microbes in the cheese.”

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