8 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



water, fat, casein, milk-sugar, albumin, ash and enzymes. 

 These will be discussed separately. 



10. Water. The retention of the solids and the elim- 

 ination of the water are among the chief considerations 

 in cheese-making. Water forms 84 to 89 per cent of milk. 

 Cheese-making calls for the reduction of this percentage 

 to that typical of the particular variety of cheese desired 

 with the least possible loss of milk solids. This final 

 percentage varies from 30 to 70 per cent with the variety 

 of cheese. The water has two uses in the cheese : (1) It 

 imparts smoothness and mellowness to the body of the 

 cheese ; (2) it furnishes suitable conditions for the action 

 of the ripening agents. To some extent the water may 

 supplement or even replace fat in its effect on the texture 

 of the cheese. If the cheese is properly made, the water 

 present is in such combination as to give no suggestion 

 of a wet or " leaky " product. 



11. Fat. Fat is present in the milk in the form of 

 suspended small transparent globules (as an emulsion). 

 These globules vary in size with the breed and individ- 

 uality of the cow and in color from a very light yellow 

 to a deep yellow shade as sought in butter. Milk with 

 small fat globules is preferred for cheese-making, because 

 these are not so easily lost in the process. Milk-fat is 

 made up of several different compounds called glycerids, 1 

 which are formed by the union of an organic acid with 

 glycerine as a base. 



Fat is important in cheese-making for two reasons : 

 (1) Its influence on the yield of cheese; (2) its effect 



1 N. Y. Exp. Sta. Kept. 1891, pages 143-162, 316-318. 



Wis. Exp. Sta. Kept. 1890, pages 238-247. 



Van Slyke, L. L., Conditions affecting the proportions of fat 

 and protein in cow's milk, Jour. Am. Chem. Soc., 30 (1908), 

 no. 7, pages 1166-1186. 



