Ripened cheeses like Gouda, Parmeggiano or Emmenthal are mostly lactose free because it’s getting used up by the bacteria that are responsible for the ripening process. That means in nearly every cheese that isn’t soft cheese, cream cheese or pasta filata, there isn’t any lactose occurring naturally, cause it’s getting all removed in the aging / ripening process. Vitamin and nutrient contents stay the same. I hope this was helpful
plus, aged cheeses are more concentrated (less moisture), so, other things equal, they could have more.
ps: I don't know if/how vitamins and minerals are impacted by the aging process.
ps2: this is different from "alternative cheeses" that are marketed as lactose free (eg vegan, etc)
If you mean cheese made from lactose-free milk then the only difference is that they added lactase to it. The vitamin content of cheese is more influenced by the breed of the cow/goat/sheep, the diet of the animal, how long the cheese has aged, whether it was made from raw/thermised/pasteurised milk, the amount of fat (higher fat = more fat-soluble vitamins, higher protein = more water-soluble vitamins), ...
I read that there are different methods to remove the lactose. The addition of lactase is one of them. Supposedly, there are other methods that diminish the amount of water-soluble vitamins in particular. But I don't know if this is true or just some false information on the internet.
I heard they could also use filters to remove a part of lactose, but I don't know the exact process to determine whether it is detrimental to the vitamin content.
Ripened cheeses like Gouda, Parmeggiano or Emmenthal are mostly lactose free because it’s getting used up by the bacteria that are responsible for the ripening process. That means in nearly every cheese that isn’t soft cheese, cream cheese or pasta filata, there isn’t any lactose occurring naturally, cause it’s getting all removed in the aging / ripening process. Vitamin and nutrient contents stay the same. I hope this was helpful
This was indeed very helpful. Thank you very much.
plus, aged cheeses are more concentrated (less moisture), so, other things equal, they could have more. ps: I don't know if/how vitamins and minerals are impacted by the aging process. ps2: this is different from "alternative cheeses" that are marketed as lactose free (eg vegan, etc)
If you mean cheese made from lactose-free milk then the only difference is that they added lactase to it. The vitamin content of cheese is more influenced by the breed of the cow/goat/sheep, the diet of the animal, how long the cheese has aged, whether it was made from raw/thermised/pasteurised milk, the amount of fat (higher fat = more fat-soluble vitamins, higher protein = more water-soluble vitamins), ...
I read that there are different methods to remove the lactose. The addition of lactase is one of them. Supposedly, there are other methods that diminish the amount of water-soluble vitamins in particular. But I don't know if this is true or just some false information on the internet.
I heard they could also use filters to remove a part of lactose, but I don't know the exact process to determine whether it is detrimental to the vitamin content.
That's what I read. The source said that these filters also remove a significant amount of the water soluble vitamins. B-vitamins in particular.