FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 611

CHEESE AND FERMENTED FOODS Winter 2002 Laboratory 4a: CHEESE MANUFACTURE STIRRED-CURD CHEDDAR CHEESE Equipment: Cheese vat Cheese knives Stirring paddles Forms or hoops Cheese press Thermometer pH meter, %TA supplies We will manufacture two vats of cheese. Vat A: Groups 1, 2 and 3 Vat B: Groups 4 and 5 I. Starter Culture: Traditional bulk starter: 0.75 1.25 % (w/w) pH-controlled bulk starter: 0.5 0.6% (w/w) Direct vat set: ~ 0.015% (w/w) We will use Chr. Hansens direct vat set culture R604 which is a mesophilic culture consisting of L. lactis subsp. lactis and cremoris. II. Cheese Making A. Setting the Milk 1. Add 275 pounds of pasteurized whole milk (not homogenized) to each cheese vat and adjust the temperature to 86F (30C). 2. Inoculate the milk with direct vat set starter (19 g per 275 lbs milk). Incubate the milk for about one hour at 86F (30C). 3. When the titratable acidity reaches 0.16 - 0.17%, add rennet extract or chymosin. Use 24.8 ml chymosin per 275 pounds of milk. Before adding chymosin, dilute it 1:20 with water to improve dispersion in the milk (24.8 ml chymosin plus 470 ml water). Mix well into milk. Leave milk undisturbed until coagulum forms. Coagulation should occur in 15 - 30 minutes. Check coagulum with a spatula.
**

Ingredients: Pasteurized milk Mesophilic starter culture Rennet extract or chymosin Annatto coloring (optional) Salt

Annatto coloring, if used, would be added at some point before adding the rennet. We will not add annatto.

B. Cutting the Curd 1. With 1/4-inch horizontal and vertical cheese knives, cut the curd into uniform cubes. 2. Allow curd cubes to heal for 5 minutes. C. Cooking the Curds ** During the cooking, one lab group per vat will stay with the cheese, while the other group(s) goes to count their yogurt plates.
**

Per vat, you will need someone to monitor: time temperature pH %TA (To simplify sample measurement, we will use 9 ml of milk or whey. The density (g/ml) of milk or whey is close to 1.0; therefore, 9 ml is approximately 9 g)

1. Heat the curds slowly using the heating guidelines below. Curd cubes should be agitated gently during the heating phase. Heat to 101 102F (39C) in 30 minutes. Too rapid heating can cause a hard rind to form around each cube, preventing expulsion of whey. This problem is called case hardening. Approximate heating rate: Time Temperature of (minutes) whey (F) 0 86 5 87 10 89 15 92 20 95 25 98 30 102 2. Maintain at 102F (39C) with intermittent stirring until %TA of the whey is 0.17 0.19. The curds should show no tendency to mat together when they are pressed in the hand and the pressure is released. D. Draining the Whey When %TA is 0.17 0.19, drain all the whey. E. Stirring the Curds Stir the curd constantly and vigorously until %TA for the whey is about 0.23 0.27. The stirring will release more whey and allow acidity to increase. Close the drain on the cheese vat to make whey collection easier.

F. Salting the Curds Salt the curd with 11 ounces (312.3 g) salt per 275 lb of milk (original amount of milk that you started with). Add the salt in three portions, stirring constantly and vigorously between each addition. G. Pressing Curds Sanitize one rectangular form per vat. Pile the curd in the cheese form so that it is overflowing. Make sure that the corners are filled. Place form in cheese press and apply gentle pressure for 30 minutes. Press more firmly until the following morning. H. Packaging Remove the cheese from the press and weigh. Vacuum package the cheeses. The plastic film prevents further drying and helps to control mold growth. I. Ripening Store the cheese at 10C for several months depending on the flavor desired.

III.

Cheese Analysis: Next lab (Feb. 14)

STIRRED-CURD CHEDDAR CHEESE MAKE SHEET Date: Name: Milk Weight kgs(or lbs) Fat % Pasteurization Temp: 163F Time: 30 sec Type Acidity pH Weight/vat % g (or lbs) Starter

Group: Cheese Moisture Fat FDB Salt SMP pH % % % % %

Operation Add starter Add rennet Milk setting Cut curd (before cooking) End of Heating Holding at 102F

Time Hr:Min

Temp (F)

pH

%TA

Comments

Knives used: (of whey)

Drain Stirring

Salting Hooping Press

Amount of salt:

Wt of green cheese:

FDB = fat on dry basis = fat total solids; Moisture = Weight of cheese weight of total solids; SMP = salt in moisture phase