The Book of Cheese Part 21

========================================== TEMPERATURE OF CURING TOTAL SCORE ----------------------+------------------- 40 95.7 50 94.2 60 91.7 ==========================================

TABLE XVIII

TABLE SHOWING THE RELATION OF TEMPERATURE OF CURING TO SCORE OF BODY AND TEXTURE, AND FLAVOR

================================================= TEMPERATURE OF CURING 40 F. 50 F. 60 F.

----------------------+--------+--------+-------- Body and texture 23.4 32.0 22.2 Flavor 47.4 46.4 44.8 =================================================

Of the three temperatures of curing, the lowest gave a higher total score and a higher score for flavor, body and texture.

The curing temperature should not go low enough to freeze the cheese, as this lowers the quality. The cheese will cure very slowly and have a mealy texture.

+242. Moisture-content of the cheese.+--Other conditions being equal, there is a larger amount of water-soluble nitrogen compounds in cheese containing more moisture than in that containing less moisture.

Therefore, a high moisture-content of the cheese causes it to cure faster. The presence of moisture also serves to dilute the fermentation products which otherwise would acc.u.mulate and thus check the action of the ripening agents.

+243. The size of the cheese.+--Cheeses of large size usually cure faster than smaller ones, under the same conditions. This is due to the fact that the large cheeses lose their moisture less rapidly by evaporation and therefore after the early period of ripening have a higher water-content.

+244. The amount of salt.+--The relation of salt to the rate of ripening is more or less directly a.s.sociated with the moisture-content of the cheese, since an increase in the amount of salt decreases the moisture.

Thus, cheese containing more salt forms water-soluble nitrogen compounds more slowly than that containing less salt. The salt also has a direct effect in r.e.t.a.r.ding one or more of the ripening agents.

+245. The amount of rennet extract.+--The use of increased amounts of rennet extract in cheese-making, other conditions being uniform, results in the production of increased quant.i.ties of soluble nitrogen compounds in a given period of time, especially such compounds as paranuclein, caseoses and peptones.

+246. The influence of acid.+--It is necessary that acid be present but the exact relation of varying quant.i.ties of acid to the chemical changes of the ripening process is not fully known. If too much acid is present, it imparts a sour taste to the cheese. It also causes the texture of the cheese to be mealy or sandy instead of smooth and waxy.

Conditions that may increase the rate of ripening:

1. Increase of temperature.

2. Larger amounts of rennet.

3. More moisture in the cheese.

4. Less salt.

5. Large size of the cheese.

6. Moderate amount of acid.

Conditions that may r.e.t.a.r.d ripening:

1. Decrease of temperature.

2. Smaller amounts of rennet.

3. Less moisture in the cheese.

4. More salt.

5. Small size of the cheese.

6. No acid or an excess of acid.

+247. Care of the cheese in the curing-room.+--The cheeses need daily attention while in the curing-room (Fig. 53). They should be turned every day to prevent sticking and molding to the shelf and to secure an even evaporation of moisture. If not turned, the moisture will not evaporate evenly from all surfaces and will result in an uneven distribution in the cheese, which causes uneven curing, and usually gives the product an uneven color.

The surface of the cheese should be watched to see that the cloths stick. If they do not, the surface will crack, due to the evaporation of the moisture. If the cloths are loosened, they should be removed and the surface of the cheese greased with b.u.t.ter. The grease will tend to prevent the rind from cracking. If the surface of the cheese is not smooth, due to wrinkles in the bandage, or if it cracks, due to the lack of cloths, it furnishes the opportunity for insects to lay their eggs and the larvae to develop within the cheese. Molds also lodge and grow in such cracks.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 53.--Cheddar cheese curing-room.]

The cheese should be kept clean while in the curing-room. This means that the hands of the person handling the cheese must be clean. The shelves should be washed with good cleaning solution and scalded with hot water whenever they become greasy or moldy.

Some means should be provided for regulating the temperature and humidity of the curing-room. In most factories this is accomplished by opening the doors and windows at night to admit the cool air and closing them in the morning to keep out the hot air. Care should be taken to keep the doors and windows closely secured. The windows should have shades to keep out the sun. If the room becomes too dry, the floor may be dampened with cold water.

The length of time in the curing-room depends on how often shipment is made to some central warehouse or to the market. This usually varies from two to six weeks.

When the surface of the cheese becomes dry and the rind is well formed, the cheese may be paraffined. It usually requires four to six days after cheeses are taken from the hoop before they are ready for this process.

The object of paraffining is to prevent the escape of moisture and to keep the cheese from molding.

+248. Evaporation of moisture from the cheese during ripening.+--The losses due to evaporation while the cheeses are curing are a considerable item. The rate of evaporation depends on the temperature and humidity of the curing-room, the size of the cheese, the moisture-content and protection to the surface.

Table XIX[120] shows the effect of size of cheese and temperature of the curing-room, on losses while curing. This table shows that the evaporation of moisture is more as the size of the cheese decreases and the temperature is increased. This is probably due to the fact that the smaller cheese has more surface to a pound than a large cheese. The evaporation increases with temperature, probably because of lowered relative humidity. The humidity can be tested with an hygrometer.

TABLE XIX

SHOWING THE VARIATION OF LOSSES IN WEIGHT OF CHEDDAR CHEESE WHILE CURING, DUE TO SIZE OF CHEESE AND TEMPERATURE OF CURING-ROOM

============================================================= WEIGHT LOST PER 100 POUNDS OF CHEESE IN 20 WEIGHT OF CHEESE WEEKS AT IN POUNDS +---------------+--------------+------------ 40 F. 50 F. 60 F.

-----------------+---------------+--------------+------------ 70 2.5 2.4 4.2 45 2.7 3.7 5.1 35 3.9 5.9 8.5 12 4.6 8.1 12.0 =============================================================

The higher the moisture-content of the cheese, usually the more rapid is the evaporation. This is due to several causes: there is more moisture to evaporate; the moisture is not so well incorporated; a moist cheese does not form so good a rind.

249. +Paraffining+[121] consists of dipping the cheese in melted paraffin at a temperature of about 220 F. for six seconds. Fig. 54 shows an apparatus for paraffining. This leaves a very thin coat of paraffin on the cheese; at a lower temperature, a thicker coat would be left. The thicker coating is more liable to crack and peel off. If the cheese is not perfectly dry before it is treated, the paraffin will blister and crack off.

Before a cheese is paraffined, the press cloth is removed and also the starched circles, if loose. After a cheese has been paraffined, if the coating is not broken, the loss due to evaporation is greatly reduced.

The amount of paraffin to coat a 35-pound cheese will depend on the temperature of the paraffin and the length of time the cheese is immersed. Usually at 220 F. it requires about 0.15 of a pound for each 35-pound cheese. After the cheeses have been paraffined, they may be left on the curing-room shelves or boxed ready to ship.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 54.--A paraffiner for cheese.]

+250. Shipping.+--When ready to ship, each cheese should be carefully and accurately weighed and boxed. Usually these cheeses are boxed after being paraffined. If press cloths are left on the cheese in the curing-room, they should be removed just before weighing. These cloths should not be left in a pile in the factory after being removed as they have been known to heat and sometimes cause fires. They should be washed clean and dried ready for use again. If starched circles are used, they should be left on the cheese. A scale board should be placed on each end of the cheese to prevent its sticking to the box and also to keep the box from wearing the surface of the cheese.

The box should be a trifle larger in diameter than the cheese so that the latter can be easily placed in it. The sides of the box should be the same height as the cheese.

The weight of each cheese should be neatly and accurately marked on each box. Care should be exercised to keep the boxes clean.

DEFECTS IN CHEDDAR CHEESE

A great number of defects may occur in Cheddar cheese. Certain of these are due to known causes and proper remedies are definable, while neither cause nor remedy has been found for other defects. Some of the common defects and their causes and remedies are discussed under different headings of the score-card as: defects in flavor, their causes and remedies; defects in body and texture, their causes and remedies; defects in color, their causes and remedies; defects in finish and their causes and remedies.

+251. Defects in flavor.+--Any flavor differing from the characteristic Cheddar cheese is a defect. Certain of these defective flavors can be recognized and causes and remedies given for them, while others may be distinguished as such but no cause or remedy can be given.

+252. Feedy flavors.+--Flavors may be characteristic of certain feeding stuffs. Feeding strong-flavored foods, such as turnips, cabbage, decayed silage, certain weeds and sometimes rank green feed, give their peculiar flavors to both milk and cheese. Freshly drawn milk usually absorbs these odors from the air in barns filled with such foods. Certain of these materials may be fed just after milking in moderate amounts without affecting the milk drawn at the next milking. Others should not be used. Milk should not be exposed to strong volatile odors. Some of the objectionable odors may be removed by airing the curd for a longer time after milling before the salt is applied.

+253. Acid flavors.+--A cheese with an acid flavor has a p.r.o.nounced sour smell and taste. This is caused by the over-development of acid which may be due to any of the following causes: (_a_) receiving milk at the factory which is sour or has too high development of acid; (_b_) using too much starter; (_c_) ripening the milk too much before adding rennet; (_d_) not firming the curd sufficiently in the whey before removing the latter; (_e_) developing too much acid in the whey before it is removed; (_f_) retaining too much moisture in the curd.

The trouble can be reduced or eliminated by one or more of the following precautions: (_a_) receiving only clean, sweet milk at the cheese factory; (_b_) maintaining the proper relation between the moisture and acidity; (_c_) adding the rennet at the proper acidity; (_d_) using less starter; (_e_) adding the rennet extract so that there will be sufficient time to firm the curd before the acid has developed to such a stage that it will be necessary to draw the whey; (_f_) producing the proper final water-content in the newly made cheese.