10 Aug., 1917.] Jolts on Cheddar Cheese-making. 473 



follows if lime salts are present. The paracasein forms the curd, and 

 the whey albumin remains in the whey. Should the milk b© deficient 

 in lime salts there will be imjierfect coagulation and a soft, weak-bodied 

 curd. A little more rennet should be added, and it may be necessary 

 to add in extreme cases some lime water. 



In the case of milk rich in lime the curd is very firm, and less 

 rennet should be used. The more solids the milk contains the more 

 rennet is required to give proper coatjulation in a given time. The 

 amount of rennet to use varies with the seavson, quality of the milk, 

 and strength of rennet, from 3 to 4 ounces, or in cEise pepsin is used, 

 from 5 to 6 grammes to 1,000 lbs. of milk. 



If rich in lime a lower temperature for setting the milk should be 

 adopted. The curd will be very difficult to cut if the temperature be 

 too high, while if set too low the curd will be soft, and loss of fat in 

 the whey will result. 



Cutting the Curd. 



The object of this is to allow the separation of the whey to take 

 place with as little loss of the solid conslituents as possible. The curd 

 should be cut when it splits clean over the finger, and the cutting should 

 be done as uniformly as possible, so that the curd may be evenly cooked, 

 and thus avoid any chances of discolouration due to soft pieces of curd. 

 It is better to cut late rather than early, for though the curd may then 

 be a little tougher to divide, there will be less loss of fat in the whey. 



Heating the Curd. 



This should be done slowly at first, increasing as the required tem- 

 perature is approached. If this be not done tlie pieces of curd may 

 become coated over with a hardened layer due to contact with the 

 warmer whey, and thus prevent the proper ex]jnIsion of moisture, which 

 will result in discolouration and probably running of whey in the curing 

 room. The temperature to adopt varies with the season, nature of 



milk, and kind of cheese. Forty to forty-five minutes should allow 

 proper heating — usually 98 degrees to 100 degrees. 



Stirring should be done continuously while heating and cooking, care 

 being taken not to smash the curd at the beginning while it is soft. 

 The object of stirring is to get it uniformly heated, and prevent its 

 cohering into a solid mass in the bottom of the vat. Aim at 2i to 3 

 hours from the time of setting the milk till the whey is off, if longer it 

 is almost sure to be faulty, due to deleterious ferments coming into 

 play. If it does not lie long enough it will be insufficiently cooked, 

 and a soft pastey cheese will be the result. The time the curd will be 

 in the whey is determined by the ripeness of milk when the rennet was 

 added, and the development of acid. 



Racking or stacking tlie curd on sides of the vati is to check the 

 development of acid by getting rid of the greater portion of whey, and 

 thus allowing a process of Cheddaring to take place. 



The formation of acid goes on chiefly in the curd, but by getting 

 rid of most whey the development goes on much slower. The amount 

 of stirring to give the curd on the racks should be according to the 

 consistency of the curd ; if soft or working fast, stir for a while by 

 hand. The object of cutting the curd in square blocks and turning 

 over is to allow the curd to drain evenly and, as far as possible, to 

 prevent discolouration of the surface by exposure to the air. 



