ACID IN CHEESE MAKING. 95 



to take more time for curing, at a lower temperature. 

 We then have a firmer, more buttery, and better flavored 

 cheese, which is a desideratum. But, with high and 

 changing temperature in the curing room, no certain or 

 satisfactory results can be counted on. 



THEORY AND PRACTICE. 



In theory, we ought to prevent the waste of butter 

 and caseous matter altogether; but in practice, there is 

 always a little loss of butter, and there are certain albu- 

 minous ingredients, called by the Germans ziega, which 

 rennet will not coagulate. There is, of course, no means 

 of saving this. The sugar we cannot and do not want to 

 save in the cheese. If retained, it would be injurious 

 and probably spoil the cheese, as the lactic acid in the 

 small amount of sugar retained in the water is all that 

 we can well manage. But all matter coagulable by ren- 

 net, all the butter, and all the ash, we ought to retain; 

 and we cannot really call ourselves scientific cheese ma- 

 kers until we can do this. When accomplished, a great- 

 er weight of cheese will be the result. 



There is no avoiding the acid resulting from the small 

 amount of sugar retained in the curd ; but, having ex- 

 pelled sufficient whey, if we keep the curd warm enough, 

 and hold it in the vat or the sink long enough, the lactic 

 acid will come on and we shall get rid of the bad results 

 of putting a curd to press sweet. This acidity is abso- 

 lutely necessary with the generality of curing rooms. 

 But with low and steady temperature in the curing room, 

 we can do about as we please. 



