Sliced Cheese Comparison – Which One To Choose?

Yellow cheese is a fairly universal product. It can be put in sandwiches, added to pizzas, mixed into casseroles, and used in many other dishes. Yellow cheese is an excellent source of calcium, vitamins, and minerals, however, it is also quite caloric, being high in fat (20 to 40%) and salt. Knowing that, you don’t have to give up on yellow cheese completely but it’s worth limiting the amount you consume.

Considering how often cheese is found in our homes, we decided to make a comparison between sliced cheeses. We’ve looked at ten different cheese products of various types and brands available in popular supermarkets.

What is cheese made of?

Good cheese should only have four ingredients – milk, lactic acid bacteria, salt, and rennet. Adding other substances, like food additives, is unnecessary and reduces the product quality. The production process of yellow cheese is not complicated. After pre-treating the milk, lactic acid bacteria suitable for the type of cheese is added. The milk is then mixed with rennet until curd is formed, from which cottage cheese is obtained. Salt is added to this cottage cheese and set aside for a specific time depending on the type of cheese being produced. During this time it will mature and take on the appropriate characteristics of each distinct cheese.

Now that you know the process, do all the cheeses available on the market have a good composition?

Comparison of sliced cheeses

I have to admit that I was very surprised looking at the lineups, because it turned out that almost all of them are exemplary. By this I mean that only four ingredients were used in production, which are the only ingredients cheese should contain. So there were eight types of cheese on the winner’s podium:

• Woolworths Extra Tasty Cheese Slices 500
• Bega Tasty Cheese Slices 500g
• Coon Cheese Slices Tasty 500g
• Woolworths Tasty Cheese Slices 500g
• Bega Strong & Bitey Vintage Cheese Slices 500g
• Woolworths Colby Cheese Slices 500g
• Coon Cheese Slices Colby 500g
• Coles Tasty Cheddar Cheese Slices 24 Pack

We’ve purposely included two types of light cheese to show much the composition of cheeses can vary. Light products are often chosen by people on a diet and usually have a lower fat content but higher carbohydrate content. Unfortunately, it just so happens that light cheese products only have a slightly lower caloric content – and sometimes even slightly higher – than the regular product. Our comparison includes two types of light cheese – Hillview Cheese Slices Reduced Fat 500g and Coon Cheese Slices Tasty Light 750g. The first one is far from perfect. As well as the four basic ingredients needed to make cheese, it also includes:

• • milk solidsThis is obtained by evaporating milk with different fat cont...
  • emulsifier 331This is sodium citrate and has pH regulating, emulsifying, a... – this is sodium citrate and has pH regulating, emulsifying, and preserving properties. It is safe to consume and has no side effects.
  • emulsifier 339This is Trisodium Phosphate, which is used as a thickener, a... – this is Trisodium Phosphate, which is used as a thickener, acidity regulator, emulsifier, and volumiser. It is considered to be problematic because in large amounts it can cause tissue calcification, the removal of calcium from bones, and even kidney damage.
  • thickener (Carrageenan) – in dairy products, this is used to improve the texture of cottage cheese and ice cream by preventing the separation of the whey or replacing half of the normal fat. It is considered generally safe.
  • acidity regulator 330This is a citric acid naturally occurring in living organism... – this is a citric acid naturally occurring in living organisms and citrus fruits. On a larger industrial scale, it is produced by non-toxic mould fungi. It is one of the most frequently added food additives and used to regulate pH, prevent food spoilage, and inhibit the oxidation of vitamins and antioxidants. It is considered safe for health.
  • preservative (200) – this is sorbic acid used as a preservative to prevent the growth of mould, yeast, and fungi. It is quite a controversial addition as it can cause skin allergies.
  • natural colour (Carotene)

This kind of cheese should never be found in our homes.

The second light cheese we looked at – Coon Cheese Slices Tasty Light 750g – has a very good composition with only the four basic ingredients used. It contains 25% less fat, but only by changing the milk to less fat. As you can see, it is possible to find a light cheese that has a good composition. Because of its simple composition, this cheese also jumps to the winner’s podium.

Summary

Remember that good cheese should ONLY consist of milk, lactic acid bacteria, salt, and rennet. Be careful with light cheeses as the difference in the composition can be huge. Use our website and read your food labels, and you won’t have to worry about your health.

The Sliced Cheese products that we have looked at and compared:

• Woolworths Extra Tasty Cheese Slices 500g
• Bega Tasty Cheese Slices 500g
• Coon Cheese Slices Tasty 500g
• Woolworths Tasty Cheese Slices 500g
• Hillview Cheese Slices Reduced Fat 500g
• Bega Strong & Bitey Vintage Cheese Slices 500g
• Woolworths Colby Cheese Slices 500g
• Coon Cheese Slices Colby 500g
• Coles Tasty Cheddar Cheese Slices 24
• Pack Coon Cheese Slices Tasty Light 750g