CHEDDAR CHEESE RIPENING 



263 



the smaller cheese has more surface to a pound than a 

 large cheese. The evaporation increases with tempera- 

 ture, probably because of lowered relative humidity. The 

 humidity can be tested with an hygrometer. 



TABLE XIX 



SHOWING THE VARIATION OF LOSSES IN WEIGHT OF CHEDDAR 

 CHEESE WHILE CURING, DUE TO SIZE OF CHEESE AND TEM- 

 PERATURE OF CURING-ROOM 



The higher the moisture-content of the cheese, usually 

 the more rapid is the evaporation. This is due to several 

 causes : there is more moisture to evaporate ; the mois- 

 ture is not so well incorporated ; a moist cheese does not 

 form so good a rind. 



249. Paraffining 1 consists of dipping the cheese in 

 melted paraffin at a temperature of about 220 F. for 

 six seconds. Fig. 54 shows an apparatus for paraffining. 

 This leaves a very thin coat of paraffin on the cheese ; 

 at a lower temperature, a thicker coat would be left. 

 The thicker coating is more liable to crack and peel off. 

 If the cheese is not perfectly dry before it is treated, 

 the paraffin will blister and crack off. 



1 Doane, C. F., Methods and results of paraffining cheese, 

 U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. An. Ind. Circ. 181, pages 1-16, 1911. 



