232 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



ments with man imlicaU' that its nutrients are (iiiitc thoroughly 

 di«rostod. For thoso reasons the j)rice at whicli cheese is eonunonly 

 sohl makes it a \i'ry eeononiieal food material. 'J'he i)opuhirity of 

 cheese, however, depends not so much upon its nutritive value and 

 economy as upon its Havor, a certain flavor in cheese being very 

 greatly relished. Incidentally this adds to its nutritive value, be- 

 cause it has been demonstrated that flavor has considerable physio- 

 logical importance in its eflect upon the secretion of digestive juices. 



rnfortunatelv the ordinarv cheeses on the nuirket differ verv de- 

 cidedly in respect to both flavor and texture, varying from a tough, 

 waxy, sour curd that is very unpalatable to a crumbling pungent 

 substance with a strong, rank flavor. Indeed, there is such a lack 

 of uniformity in cheese in respect to these characteristics that it is 

 rather difficult to obtain two samples that are very much alike, and 

 there is very much inferior cheese on the market. Chiefly for such 

 reasons the consumption of this very nutritious food material has 

 not increased as rapidly as it might otherwise have done, if indeed 

 it has not actually decreased. 



So much success has attended the efforts of butter makers to pro- 

 duce butter of a standard quality by controlling organisms that are 

 concerned in the process that cheese makers have attempted to adapt 

 similar methods to their industry. In this connection investiga- 

 tions of verv decided value have been conducted bv some of the 

 experiment stations. A considerable amount of this work has been 

 done in cooperation with this Department. At the Wisconsin « and 

 New York State '' stations extensive studies of various factors con- 

 cerned in the manufacture of the common hard cheese have been 

 made in the attempt to establish this industry on a scientific basis. 

 Efforts to control the process of making and curing cheese so as to 

 obtain uniformity in flavor, texture, and other qualities have been 

 decidedly encouraging. At the Oregon Station ^ also an investiga- 

 tion was made of methods of controlling the flavor of cheese. The 

 successful application of the principles established by these investi- 

 gations should result in a vast improvement in the quality of hard 

 cheese found on the market, and this would without doubt be fol- 

 lowed by a greater consumption of this verj'^ nutritious food product, 

 to the advantage of both producer and consumer. 



The soft cheeses, such as Roquefort and Camembert, have a stronger 

 flavor than the ordinary hard Edam cheese and are much relished. 

 The taste for cheeses of this type is becoming more general in this 

 country, and the demand for them is increasing rapidly. These 



o Wisconsin Sta. Rpts. 1900 and other years. 



6 New York State Sta. Buls. 203, 207, 214, 233, 23G, and others 



c Oregon Sta. Bui. 78. 



