Production of Cheese
Production of Cheese
Production of Cheese
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Cheese!
Cheese! | introduction
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The earliest type was a form of sour milk which came into existence
when it was discovered that domesticated animals could be milked
Growth of bacteria
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Mechanical treatment
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Heat treatment
Before the actual cheese making begins, the milk usually undergoes
pre-treatment designed to create optimum conditions for production
salts of calcium and phosphorus are released, which influence the consistency
of the cheese and help to increase the firmness of the curd
Cheese! | before making the curd…
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5-20g in each
100kg milk
to achieve a constant coagulation time and
result in sufficient firmness of the
coagulum.
For production of low-fat cheese,
add: Carbon dioxide (CO2)
disodium phosphate will be added before
CaCl2
to improve overall quality
100kg milk
Two stages:
• Transformation of casein to paracasein under the influence of rennet
• Precipitation of paracasein in the presence of calcium ions
The whole process is governed by the temperature, acidity, and calcium content
of the milk as well as other factors. The optimum temperature for
rennet is in the region of 40°C
Cheese! | rennet
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…which means that one part of rennet can coagulate 10 000-15 000 parts of milk in…
40 35°C
minutes at
About 50 years ago, investigations were started to find substitutes for animal rennet.
This was done primarily in India and Israel on account of vegetarians' refusal to accept
cheese made with animal rennet. In the Muslim world, the use of porcine rennet is out
of the question, which is a further important reason to find adequate substitutes.
Interest in substitute products has grown more widespread in recent years due to a
shortage of animal rennet of good quality.
A: during stirring
B: during cutting
D: during pressing
Cheese! | heating and scalding
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Depending on the type of cheese, heating can be done in the following ways:
• By steam in the vat/tank jacket only.
• By steam in the jacket with addition of hot water to the curd/whey mixture.
• By hot water addition to the curd/whey mixture only.
Heating beyond 44°C is typically called scalding. Some types of cheese, such as
Emmenthal, Gruyère, Parmesan and Grana,
are scalded at temperatures as high as 50-56°C
Cheese! | heating and scalding
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40°C
bacteria is retarded
44°C
normal “cooking”
52°C
between 10 and 20 minutes
Cheese! | removal of whey
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the residual whey is removed from the curd in various ways depending on the type of cheese
One-way is to withdraw whey direct from the cheese vat; this is used mainly with manually
operated open cheese vats. After whey drainage the curd is scooped into moulds. The
resulting cheese acquires a texture with irregular holes or eyes, also called a granular texture.
The holes are primarily formed by the carbon dioxide gas typically evolved by so-called LD
starter cultures (Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc cremoris and Lactococcus diacetylactis).
Cheese! | removal of whey
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round-eyed Cheese! sm
According to older methods, such as for production of Emmenthal cheese, the curd was
collected in cheese cloths while still in the whey and then transferred to a large mould on a
combined drainage and pressing table.
When curd grains are collected below the surface of the whey, the curd contains microscopic
cavities. Starter bacteria accumulate in these tiny whey-filled cavities. The gas formed when
they start growing, initially dissolves in the liquid, but as bacteria growth continues, local
supersaturation occurs which results in the formation of small holes.
Cheese! | removal of whey
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closed-texture Cheese! sm
Closed texture types of cheese, of which Cheddar is a typical example, are normally made
with starter cultures containing bacteria that do not evolve gas - typically single-strain lactic-
acid-producing bacteria like Lactococcus cremonis and Lactococcus lactis .
The specific processing technique may however result in formation of cavities called
mechanical holes. While the holes in granular and round-eyed cheeses have a
characteristically shiny appearance, mechanical holes have rough inner surfaces.
Cheese! | final treatment of curd
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The curd can be treated in various ways after all the free whey has been removed. It can be:
After having been moulded or hooped the curd is subjected to final pressing.
to provide texture
3-7%
however, normally have a salt content of
cheddar
8-10
The ripening time may vary from a few months up to
to satisfy the preferences of various consumers
months
Cheese! | storage
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Emmenthal
85-90 %
Cheese! | storage
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Tilsiter, Havarti
90%
relative humidity of about
Once the desired layer of smear has developed,
the cheese is normally
transferred to the
ripening room at a temperature of
10-12 °C
90 % 2-3
relative humidity of for a further weeks
Cheese! | storage
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gouda
10-12°C
75 %
couple of weeks in a “green” cheese room at
3-4
After that a ripening period of about weeks…
10-12°C
75%
Finally the cheese is transferred to a storage room at about