CURING AND SHIPPING THE CHEESE. 105 
industry is developed and central curing rooms are becoming 
still more general than they are at the present time. 
205. Paraffining Cheese. 
The evaporation of moisture from the cheese can be pre- 
vented by applying a coat of paraffine which is practically im- 
pervious to moisture. If applied at a temperature of at least 
200° F. the cheese will remain bright, as the mold spores are 
killed at that temperature and the paraffine adheres firmly to 
Fig. 54.—Tank used for paraffining Cheddar cheese in factories. The 
steam is admitted into the jacket around the tank and keeps the paraffine 
at the proper temperature. By means of such a tank and a pair of dipping 
tongs cheese can be paraffined easily and rapidly. 
the surface of the cheese. Applied hot, less paraffine is neces- 
sary, thus reducing the expense of coating. About 4 oz. of par- 
affine will adhere to an 80-pound cheese if the paraffining is 
done at 210-220° F. Semi-refined wax of a meiting point be- 
low 116° F. should be used.* In Danish factories cheese is gen- 
erally paraffined at a temperature of 210-230°. 
The vat in which the paraffine is melted is similar to a 
cheese vat but much smaller. A partition three inches from 
*Report 1906, Dairy Commissioner of Canada, p. 14, where a convenient 
form of apparatus used at Canadian curing rooms for waxing cheese is 
shown. See also Mich. Sta. Special Bull. 21, Farmers’ Bull. 190, and Melick, 
Dairy Laboratory Guide, p. 66. 
