COMMERCIAL TESTING OF BUTTER AND CHEESE 165 



SAMPLING AND TESTING CHEESE 



Only the ordinary American cheese, usually made 

 by the cheddar system, is here considered. For com- 

 mercial testing, cheese is sampled by a cheese-trier 

 in much the same manner as butter. The plug should 

 always be drawn from the top and not from the side 

 in order to avoid injuring the protective power of the 

 bandage. The plug drawn is examined by smelling, 

 feeling, appearance, etc., in reference to the various 

 qualities mentioned below. 



TERMS USED IN DESCRIBING QUALITIES OF 



CHEESE 



The following qualities have been selected to serve 

 as a basis in the commercial testing and scoring of 

 cheese: (i) Flavor, (2) texture, (3) body, (4) color, 

 (5) salt, and (6) appearance. 



Flavor. — By flavor is meant the quality that is per- 

 ceptible to the smell and taste. The sense of smell is 

 depended upon in testing flavor in cheese much 

 more largely than is the sense of taste, because, in ex- 

 amining a large number of samples of cheese in suc- 

 cession, constant tasting soon dulls not only the sense 

 of taste but also that of smell. Flavor in cheese is 

 due to the formation of some unknown compound or 

 compounds during the ripening process. 



Testing flavor in cheese. — The flavor is best ob- 

 tained by direct smelling of the plug as soon as it is 

 drawn and, in addition, by crushing and warming 

 some of the cheese in the hand and then smelling. 



Terms used in describing cheese flavors. — From 

 a great variety of names applied to various flavors 



