COMMERCIAL CHEESE-RIPENING 



391 



and examined. When freshly cut, the appearance was 

 normal, but the surface dried out more rapidly than 

 in normal cheddar cheese. The body was crumbly, as 

 in the case of a cheese deficient in water. Little or no 

 ripening had taken place and such insipid flavor as 

 there was did not resemble anything normal. The 

 frozen cheese also showed a mottled appearance, net 

 shown by any other cheese ripened at 28 F. or above. 

 Fig. 49 shows the appearance of a cheese after being 

 kept at 5 F. for several months. 



FINANCIAL APPLICATION OF RESULTS 

 OF CHEESE-RIPENING INVESTIGATIONS 



Any reduction in loss of weight or any improve- 

 ment in quality in cheese-ripening means an increase 

 of money that can be realized in the sale of cheese. 

 We have seen that the curing of cheese at tempera- 

 tures as low as 40 F. has the effect of ( I ) preventing 

 loss of moisture and (2) increasing the value of the 

 cheese. Therefore, we not only have more cheese to 

 sell but can sell it at a higher price. Taking cheese 

 20 weeks old as a basis for comparison, we know how 

 much weight is lost at different temperatures and also 

 the difference in price. From these figures the fol- 

 lowing tabulated statement is given : 



MONEY RETURNS AT SEVERAL TEMPERATURES 



