CURD-MAKING 79 



of the curd mass. With the rise in temperature the casein 

 becomes elastic first, then approaches a melting condition 

 and assumes a tough, almost rubbery consistency. The 

 final texture is the result of the combination of the 

 amount of rennet added, the temperature, the acidity 

 reached during the process, and the final water-content 

 of the mass. 



102. Draining (including grinding, putting into hoops 

 or forms and pressing) . The reduction of the water 

 in the curd begins almost as soon as the curd becomes 

 firm. It is aided by cutting or breaking, by the retention 

 of the heat applied before renneting and by the second- 

 ary heating or cooking used in making certain groups of 

 cheeses. In many varieties special apparatus is provided 

 in the form of draining boards, draining racks or bags 

 to hasten the removal of the whey as fast as it separates. 

 The draining process continues until the cheese has 

 reached its final form and weight. The intervening 

 process of matting in the Cheddar group involves a com- 

 bination of a souring process with the removal of whey, 

 during which the cubes of curd become fused into semi- 

 solid masses. If such masses are formed, they must be 

 ground up before the cheese can be given its final form 

 in the hoop. The draining process, therefore, may take 

 any one of many forms varying from the direct transfer 

 of freshly formed curd into hoops in which the entire 

 draining process is completed, to an elaborate series of 

 operations which end in pressing curd drained to approxi- 

 mately its final condition before it is placed in the hoop. 



103. Application to cheese. From the discussion of 

 these factors, it is evident that the cheeses produced 

 will differ widely with the differences in manipulation. If 

 one considers essential constituent substances separately, 



