JSIew York AGKicciyruEAL Experiment fcjiA'iioN. 20 1 



LOSS OF MOISTURE AS INFLUEiNCED BY THE PERCENTAGE OF WATER 



PRESENT IN GREEN CHEESE. 



In presenting the results of our study under this division of 

 our subject, we will first make use of some extreme cases, in 

 which the percentage of water in the cheese varied from 55 to 

 35. In the following table we give the percentage of water 

 originally present in the cheese fresh from press and the 

 amount of water lost per 100 pounds of cheese for each of four 

 weeks, the conditions of temperature and moisture of air being 

 the same for the different cheeses. 



Table I. — Loss of Moisture in Cheeses Containing Different Per- 

 centages OF Water. 



Water lost by 100 lbs. of green cheese. 



An examination of these figures suggests the following 

 statements: 



(1) There is a marked general tendency for very moist cheese 

 to lose water more rapidly than cheese having less moisture, 

 other conditions being uniform. Thus, the cheese containing 55 

 per ct. of moisture lost nearly three times as much moisture by 

 evaporation each week as did the cheese containing 35 per ct. 

 of water, and nearly twice as much as the cheese containing 45 

 per ct. of moisture. 



(2) At the end of four weeks, the cheese containing 55 per ct. 

 of moisture had lost about one-third of its water; the one with 

 50 per ct. had lost one-fourth; the one containing 45 per ct., one- 

 fifth; and the one with 35 per ct., one-sixth. It is thus seen 

 that the more moist the cheese the greater is the proportion of 

 its water lost by evaporation; and, hence, the moisture in the 

 different cheeses tends to become more nearly alike. However, 

 they would not all reach the same condition of moisture-content, 

 except under very unusual conditions. 



