US: Wisconsin research team exploring ways to make cheese curds stay squeaky longer

Eating food is a pure sensory experience. Imagine plucking a firm, red apple straight from the tree and biting into the crisp flesh, tasting and smelling the freshness of the fruit in your hand. Consumers have similar expectations when they bite into a cheese curd — a salty, cheddar taste accompanied by that familiar squeak. John A. Lucey, professor of food science at UW-Madison and the director of the Center for Dairy Research, reported that national sales numbers for natural cheese curds have steadily increased to around $52 million in 2021. However, fresh cheese curds are still predominantly purchased in the Midwest. Ideally, for best flavor and maximum squeak, fresh cheese curds are consumed the day they're made, Lucey said. To extend that window of squeakiness, the center's researchers are hoping to understand what processing methods, ingredients or strategies might result in cheese curds with a longer shelf life (and squeak). Without the squeak, consumers assume the curds ...