THE SWISS AND ITALIAN GROUPS 287 



275. Composition and yield. A large number of analy- 

 ses of Swiss cheese have been made but there is wide 

 variation. This is due to the fact that the composition 

 and yield are both dependent on the following factors: 

 composition of the milk, losses during manufacture, 

 amount of moisture in the cheese. The losses in Swiss 

 cheese are much larger than with some of the other hard 

 cheeses, such as Cheddar. This is because more fat is 

 lost in the whey, due to breaking instead of cutting 

 the curd and the subsequent hard stirring. The pos- 

 sibility of reducing these excessive losses has already 

 been indicated. 



Swiss cheeses of high grade show about the following 

 range of composition: 



Water ...... 30-34 per cent 



Fat 30-34 per cent 



Protein 26-30 per cent 



Ash 3-5 per cent 



Salt (NaCl) .... 1-1.4 per cent 



The water-content of this type of cheese is low and the 

 protein-content is proportionately high. Both condi- 

 tions lead to firm textures, long ripening and long keeping 

 periods. 



The following score-card is used to judge both block 

 and drum Swiss cheese : 



Flavor 35 



Appearance on trier holes ... 30 



Texture 20 



Salt . . 10 



Style 5 



100 



