It is often said that everything will be so much better if you put cheese in it. In fact, there are even recipe websites that are practically based on this premise. Any kind of cheese and any format will do, but the peak of flavor is achieved above all when it comes to processed cheese
So how can processed cheese be so much better than slices, shreds, or tacos if it’s the exact same cheese? This is something that has intrigued science for a long time. It’s important to know why we like what we like, because it can have many uses in life. food industry. Or directly applications when selecting a menu.
The key seems to be primarily in the fat. Processed cheese releases all its fat onto our surface. taste buds and no matter how harmful it may be to our health, our brain loves it.
The Key to Our Love of Processed Cheese
As a rule, cheeses have casein protein structure. This is a protein found in large quantities in milk and which, when cheese is formed, coagulates, surrounding the fat inside.
Like all proteins, when heated they lose their structure through a process known as denaturation. As a result, fat is released and a dopamine party begins. Our brain releases dopamine and other substances that cause pleasure in response to use very high calorie foods. This is because evolutionarily we are comfortable consuming large amounts of energy. The brain does not differentiate whether we are getting this energy in a more or less healthy way. It only interprets what we need, so it gives us pleasure so that we want to eat more.
On the other hand, fat is more evenly distributed across the taste buds of the tongue, so the experience with processed cheese This is even better.
Don’t miss glutamate
When processed cheese is made and proteins are denatured, some amino acids are released, which are the basic building blocks of proteins. One of these amino acids is glutamateknown to be responsible for minds.
This is the most recently discovered aroma. It is found in products such as shiitake mushrooms, kombu seaweed, soy sauce or some types of meatThey contain some substances that cause this taste, among which glutamate predominates.
It is such a pleasant and addictive taste that the food industry enhances it with additives such as monosodium glutamate. Bagged chips and other snacks usually contain large amounts of this ingredient, which is also very common in Chinese cuisine.
Because processed cheese It contains a large amount of glutamate, no wonder we like it so much. It should be noted that not all cheeses melt equally well. This depends, among other things, on the concentration of casein. For this reason, special grated cheese for baking is sometimes supplemented with melting salts, which facilitate its melting. Unfortunately, these are not the healthiest ingredients, so the best option is to grate the cheese yourself and take into account what kind it is to find the ideal time and temperature for its melting. The result will be equally delicious.
Source: Hiper Textual
