If milk is white, why is cheese yellow?

Cow's milk, which is used to make cheese, contains b-carotene, which is the compound responsible for the natural pale-yellow color of cheese. This yellow-orange colored compound is found naturally in the grass that cows feed on. As it is fat soluble, it is stored in the cow´s fat and passes int...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Escobar Zapata, Carlos Alfonso
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:Perú
Institución:Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Repositorio:Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/24159
Acceso en línea:http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/quimica/article/view/24159
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Carotene
Annatto
Bixin
Norbixin
Caroteno
Anato
Bixina
Norbixina
Descripción
Sumario:Cow's milk, which is used to make cheese, contains b-carotene, which is the compound responsible for the natural pale-yellow color of cheese. This yellow-orange colored compound is found naturally in the grass that cows feed on. As it is fat soluble, it is stored in the cow´s fat and passes into the milk encapsulated inside the so-called fat globules contained in milk. Since these globules scatter the incident light, milk appears to be white. During cheese making, these fat globules break down, releasing the b-carotene, which stains the cheese with its characteristic yellow color. Currently, to homogenize the cheese color in the industry, Annatto is added, a natural colorant extracted from the plant Bixa orellana L., present in the Peruvian Amazonia.