430 



MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



in the proportion of forty parts of water to one part of rennet 

 extract ; this checks the action of the rennet so that it can be 

 evenly mixed with the milk. The action of the starter and the 

 rennet will coagulate the milk in a short time; it should be 

 left undisturbed, however, until the following morning, when 

 the coagulation will be firm and the whey will have begun to 

 separate. 



The whey separating from the curd the following morning 

 should have an acidity of from 0.45 to 0.5 per cent. If the 

 acidity is above this amount, further development should be 

 checked by the addition of salt, since too much acid is very 

 likely to cause an acid cheese; if the acidity has not reached 

 this point, the curd should not be disturbed until it does, as 

 an insufficient amount of acid causes difficulty in separating 

 the curd and the whey. 



The separation of curd and whey is best accomplished by 

 dipping them on to a large cloth in a curd sink, allowing the 



whey to drain away 

 (Fig. 82). The curd 

 should be rolled 

 from the cloth (Fig. 

 83, page 436), in 

 order that the pieces 

 of curd next to the 

 cloth will not be- 

 come too dry and 

 also that the whey 

 will have a better 

 opportunity to escape. The expulsion of the whey can be 

 hastened by the application of pressure. This may be brought 

 about by covering the curd with the cloth, placing a board 

 on top of the cloth, and setting cans of water on the board ; 

 or the curd may be placed in cheddar-cheese hoops and pressed. 

 The curd should be stirred occasionally, so that the particles 



FIG. 82. Draining rack with milk cans full of 

 water used for pressure. 



