Cheese Notes

• Part 1. Ingredients
  • Milk
  • Rennet
  • Cultures
  • Salt

Part 1. Ingredients

MILK

Milk was never meant to see the light of day”

• Sheep: highest in fat and proteins, strongest curd
  
• Goat, Cow: weaker curd. Might need to add calcium chloride if the milk is overpasteurized or kept cold for too long

Homogeneization reduces the size of fat particles -> poor cheesemaker milk
Pasteurization destroys lipase, affecting flavor, and denatures proteins, affecting coagulation and syneresis
Standardization helps balance the Proteins + Ca₃(PO₄)₂ to Fat ratio. (E.g., skimming, for Parmigiano). Excess fat is lost when cutting the curd in the vat (still retained if ladled, like double crème Brie)

Stress of any kind lowers milk quality. E.g., subclinical mastitis, detectable as increased leukocytes in milk.

Yield = 1.63 * (%fat + %proteins)
Up to 40% for soft cheese

RENNET

• Fermented
  Animal genes expressed by bacteria
  
• Microbial (mucor miehei enzymes)
  They’re even less retained than animal rennet
  
• Animal
  Avoid

Single strength: 1ml coagulates 5L of milk (200 IMCU)

CULTURES

• Starter
  Direct, Mother, Bulk, Whey
  
• Native
  Clabbered cheeses. Today it’s less feasible, but Devonshire clotted cheese and Schmierkäse rely on native cultures
  
• Ripening
  Blue and white molds, propionic bacteria that produce eyes

Cultures affect important flavoring molecules: L-, D-lactate, CO₂, ethanol, acetate, diacetyl, citrate. Bacteriophage infestations are a problem

SALT

Important to stop the starter culture; dehydrate the rind to prevent microbial growth; drain the curds; coax white mold growth; flavor
- Salt the curd
- Add to the rind
- Soak the cheese in brine

Water Activity
Reduce water available for microorganisms by sequestering it with salt or sugar

Salt retaining decreases with increasing fat and whey drainage