Wyndham resident Geraldine Walker treats dairy produce like a judge of fine wine – smelling, tasting and spitting out samples to identify the best.
Ms Walker, one of the judges for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards, recently quaffed her way through 280 dairy products in a day to select the finalists for the November 26 awards.
The food technologist with Werribee’s research and development company Dairy Innovation Australia says there are several factors behind a winning product.
“With butter it has to look good, with an even-coloured appearance; it must have a clean flavour and a smooth texture with no grittiness in the mouth,” she says.
Ms Walker was one of the judges of 280 products in the dairy category – from milk, cream and butter to dip, yogurt and ice cream – assessing flavour, aroma, body, texture, colour and appearance. Cheese had a separate judging panel, including celebrity chef Gabriel Gate.
