68 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



If this development is uneven, due to the uneven distri- 

 bution of moisture, the color will be bleached in spots, 

 causing a mottled effect. 



91. Control of moisture. 1 The cheese-maker must 

 use skill and judgment in regulating the amount of mois- 

 ture in relation to the firmness of the curd and the acid. 

 Since there are no quick accurate tests to determine 

 the amount of moisture, this is left entirely to the judg- 

 ment of the operator. Certain methods of handling 

 the curd reduce the moisture-content, while others in- 

 crease it. The cheese-maker must decide how to handle 

 the curd. If the curd becomes too dry, methods should 

 be employed to increase the moisture, and vice versa. 



Causes of excessive moisture: 



Cutting the curd coarse. 



Cutting the curd after it has become too hard. 



Setting the milk at a high temperature. 



Use of excessive amount of rennet extract. 



Low acid in the curd at the time of removing the whey. 



Not stirring the curd with the hands as the last of the 

 whey is removed. 



High piling of the curd during the cheddaring process. 



Piling the curd too quickly after removing the whey. 



Use of a small amount of salt. 



Holding the curd at too low a temperature after the 

 whey is removed. 



Soaking the curd in water previous to salting. 



Allowing the curd to remain in the whey too long so 

 that it reabsorbs the whey. 



Heating the curd too rapidly. 



1 Fisk, W. W., A study of some factors influencing the yield 

 and moisture content of Cheddar cheese, Cornell Exp. Sta. Bui. 

 334, 1913. 



