CHAPTER XX 



The Composition of Cheese ii\ Relatioi^ 



to Quality 



In the preceding chapter it has been demon- 

 strated that cheese made from milk rich in fat 

 contains relatively and actually more fat and less 

 proteins than cheese made from milk poor in fat. 

 Two such cheeses, made with equal skill, the milk 

 being uniform in every way except in composition, 

 show a marked difference in commercial quality 

 (p. 244) ; and the one having the larger percentage 

 of fat would be declared to be superior in quality. 

 This has been demonstrated in practical ways by 

 the experiment stations of Wisconsin, Iowa, Min- 

 nesota and New York; and their work, the first to 

 be done along these lines, has been supplemented 

 and confirmed by the work of others. It has been 

 found generally true that cheese made from milk 

 containing added cream is superior in flavor and tex- 

 ture to that made from ordinary normal milk; and 

 that made from normal milk is superior in flavor, tex- 

 ture, body and keeping quality to cheese made from 

 skim-milk. 



Variation in quality in cheddar cheese follows 

 more or less closely the relation of fat to proteins 

 in cheese ; the larger the proportion of fat, the bet- 

 ter, in general, the quality of cheese and the 

 higher the market value. This fact is, of course, 

 associated with, and dependent upon, the function 



243 



