362 



CHAPTER VII. 



OTHER MILK PRODUCTS. 



Contents. — Cheese — Rennet — Classification of Cheeses — Composition — 

 The Ripening of Cheese — Analysis of Cheese — Adulteration of Cheese 

 — Other Products derived from Milk. 



Cheese. 



Cheese is prepared by the action of rennet on milk ; this separ- 

 ates it into whey and curd ; the curd is finely divided, pressed 

 to separate the -whey and to consolidate it, and, usually, salted. 

 From this, cheese is produced by ripening, -which is due partly 

 to the action of micro-organisms and fungi, partly (as Babcock and 

 Russell have sho-wn) to the action of an enzyme natural to milk. 



Action of Rennet. — The action of rennet is to split up the 

 casein into a dyscaseose, the calcium compound of -which is 

 insoluble and -which forms curd, and a soluble caseose ; the 

 insoluble curd carries do-wn -with it a large proportion of the fat. 



Composition of Curd and Whey .^ The folio-wing table 

 -will sho-w the distribution of the various constituents of the 

 milk -when made into -svhey and curd : — 



TABLE LXXXIX. 



The following is the composition of whey according to various 

 authorities : — 



TABLE XC. 



