38 Composition of Cheese. 



g. That an excess of acid coagulates milk, but not perfectly in 



the cold. 



h, That a moderate amount of acid does uot coagulate milk in 

 ' the cold, and imperfectly at an elevated temperature. 



6. Cheese, again, is sometimes spoiled when bad annatto is 

 employed as a colouring matter. Annatto at the best is a nasty, 

 disagreeable smelling substance ; it would be well if it were 

 banished altogether from the dairy. But, so long as a good many 

 people will prefer coloured to uncoloured cheese, annatto will be 

 employed for the purpose of imparting a more or less deep 

 yellow colour. 



The annatto of commerce is derived from the Orlean-tree 

 (Bixa orellana). The seeds and pulp of this tree appear to 

 contain two colouring matters ; one, in a pure state, is orange- 

 red, and is called bixin ; the other is yellow, and called ore] 1 in. 

 These colouring matters are insoluble in water, but dissolve 

 readily in alkalies, and also in fixed oils and fats. Solid 

 annatto, the annatto cake of commerce, is a preparation, which 

 contains, besides the pure colouring matter, a great deal of potash 

 or soda, carbonate-of-lime, pipeclay, earthy matters, and rubbish 

 of various kinds. Soap, train-oil, and other disagreeable smelling 

 and tasting matters are often used in preparing annatto cake. 

 Hence the annatto of commerce is often a most nauseous mate- 

 rial, which, when put into the cheese-tub, is apt to give to the 

 cheese a bad taste and an unsightly colour. Far superior to this 

 annatto, and more handy in its application, is the liquid annatto, 

 which is mainly an alkaline solution of the pure colouring 

 matter of the Bixa orellana. An excellent solution of that 

 description is manufactured by Mr. Nichols, of Chippenham, 

 which is perfectly clear, has a bright yellow colour, and is free 

 from any of the obnoxious and disagreeable substances which are 

 frequently mixed up with annatto cake. 



7. In the next place, I would observe that cheese is occasionally 

 spoilt if too much salt is used in curing it. Salt is a powerful 

 antiseptic, that is, it prevents fermentation ; hence we use it for 

 pickling beef and hams. A certain amount of salt is necessary, 

 not so much for giving a saline taste, as for keeping in check the 

 fermentation to which cheese, like other animal matters, is 

 liable. If no salt were used the cheese would putrefy, and 

 acquire a very strong taste and smell, at least when made in the 

 ordinary way. When an extra quantity of cream is put to the 

 milk, it is not necessary, or even desirable, to salt the curd 

 much ; we might even do without salt altogether, for the large 

 amount of fat (butter) in extra rich cheeses, such as Stilton or 

 cream-Cheddar, sufficiently preserves the casein. 



If salt is employed in excess, the cheese does not ripen pro- 



