Cheese Crystals: Feature Or Flaw?

If you ever eaten a well-aged cheese, or even just seen one, then you are probably aware of cheese crystals. These small, crunchy crystals are a natural part of aging and over the years, there has been a great deal of debate over them. Some people view them as a flaw in cheese, while others say they are simply a natural part of the aging process of cheese, adding some texture, and with no negative health effects.

Which Cheeses Have Them

The most likely cheeses to contain these cheese crystals are aged ones, particularly cheese that has aged for a longer period of time. This means that well-aged Parmigiano Reggiano, mountain cheeses (like Pleasant Ridge Reserve or Gruyere), and aged Goudas can all contain these crystals. Even super aged cheddar has cheese crystals, although in that case they are slightly different, although similar enough for most people to lump them under the same category.

What Are Cheese Crystals?

Before you can decided whether cheese crystals are a feature or a flaw, it helps to understand what exactly they are. They are known as tyrosine crystals as that is the substance they are made of. Each crystal is an amino acid cluster that forms as your favorite cheeses age. Tyrosine, a non-essential amino acid, can be found in casein, which is the dominant milk protein.

Despite tyrosine being present in almost all cheese, the tyrosine clusters only appear in some. This is because all cheese contains protein chains which trap fat and protein within them. If the cheese ages for a long time, the protein chains will unravel, leaving these tyrosine deposits.

The View Of Cheese Experts

If you see cheese crystals in a processed, mass-produced cheese, then it is probably a flaw and you will not want to buy that cheese. If, however, you notice them in a well-aged cheese of high-quality, then cheese experts tend to unanimously agree that they are an excellent feature to have in your cheese.

These experts see the crystals as a great way to naturally break up the texture when a cheese is a smooth paste, as they add a nice bit of crunch to the cheese. Many people even say that the crystals interact nicely with your beverage. One example would be eating a super-aged cheddar with cheese crystals while drinking a full-bodied stout as the textural intensity of the cheese’s crunchiness helps match the beer’s fullness. Even the American Cheese Society takes the view that these cheese crystals are a feature and they aim to spread this philosophy.