314 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



placing the starched cap cloths over the ends. The cheese is 

 then replaced in the hoop and held under constant pressure 

 from 24 to 48 hours. This dressing is one of the important 

 steps in the manufacture of cheddar cheese, as the better appear- 

 ance will decidedly influence the price for which the product 

 may be sold. At the close of the pressing period, the cheese 

 are taken from the hoops and placed in the curing room. 



Curing the cheese (see Plate XV) 



When the finished cheese comes from the press, it is little 

 more than green, sour milk curd, although certain ripening 

 processes have already commenced, which must now be given 

 an opportunity to ripen and develop the characteristics desir- 

 able in mature cheese. For this purpose, the cheese are placed 

 in curing rooms where the temperature and humidity can be 

 controlled. The more completely these factors are under 

 control, the more certain will be the quality of the ripened 

 cheese. The exact changes which take place in cheese during 

 the ripening process are not fully understood, but in general 

 the casein is acted upon by enzymes which change the insoluble 

 compounds into soluble ones. At the same time the charac- 

 teristic flavors develop in the cheese. The conditions of the 

 curing room should be such as to prevent excessive evaporation 

 from the cheese and also maintain a fairly constant tempera- 

 ture during the ripening period. It is generally agreed that 

 low temperatures are better than high for the development 

 of the best quality, both as to flavor and texture. The 

 results of a large amount of work carried on by the New York 

 Experiment Station are summarized as follows in bulletins 184 

 and 234. 



"The loss of weight increased with increase of temperature, 

 being on an average in 20 weeks 3.8 Ib. to 100 Ib. of cheese 

 at 40 F., 4.8 Ib. at 50 F., and 7.8 Ib. at 60 F. The large- 



