CHEDDAR CHEESE-MAKING' 211 



204. Salting. Salt is added to Cheddar curd for 

 several purposes: (1) for its taste; (2) to aid in the 

 removal of the whey and to harden and shrink the curd ; 

 (3) to influence the fermentation by slowing down acidi- 

 fication, checking the growth of unfavorable organisms 

 and delaying ripening. The salt should be pure. 

 It should be coarse-grained, because the large grains 

 dissolve more slowly and permit its absorption to a much 

 larger extent than the fine-grained salt. Salt that 

 dissolves slowly is, therefore, to be sought for this purpose. 



The following factors must be considered in determin- 

 ing the amount of salt to be used : (1) the amount of curd 

 from the milk ; (2) the percentage of water in the curd ; 

 (3) the acidity of the curd ; (4) the particular market 

 form of cheese desired. The custom of determining the 

 quantity of salt by the weight of milk is an inaccurate 

 practice. The amount of salt should be based on the 

 amount of curd. If the amount of fat in the milk is 

 known, a fairly accurate estimate of the amount of curd 

 can be made. It would be more accurate to weigh the 

 curd before salting, but this is not practicable or necessary 

 to insure a good quality of cheese. The amount of salt 

 varies from 1| to 2j pounds of salt to the curd from each 

 1000 pounds of milk. 



The salt should not be added directly after milling 

 because, at that time, it would cause a large loss of fat. 

 After milling there should be time before salting for the 

 freshly cut surfaces to dry or " heal over." When first 

 milled the curd has a dry harsh feeling ; when ready to 

 salt it will feel soft and mellow and some moisture can 

 usually be squeezed out easily. Fifteen to twenty minutes 

 from the time of milling are required before the curd is 

 ready for the salt. When ready, the curd should be 



