372. Control of the moisture content and ‘body-firmness’ of cheddar cheese

Abstract

Cheesemaking experiments were carried out to investigate the moisture-retaining characteristics of curd made from milks of varying fat and casein content. The results indicate:(a) That milk fat helps to retain moisture in a cheese curd. The higher the proportion of fat present the more drastic the treatment required in the cheese vat to reduce the moisture content of the finished cheese to the desired level. A higher cooking temperature, more dry-stirring of the curd and a larger proportion of salt are all necessary with rise in fat content of the curd.(b) That curd formed from milk of a low-casein content (from Friesian cows) retains moisture in the cheesemaking process more tenaciously than curd from milk of a highcasein content (from Jersey cows).

Effect of blending Jersey and Holstein-Friesian milk on Cheddar cheese processing, composition, and quality

“…This is consistent with Whitehead (1948), who found J curd to have improved syneresis compared with H-F. Following the same cheesemaking process, J curd retained 25% more whey.…”

“…This lack of difference in sensory properties is supported by Whitehead (1948), except that the latter study found firmness to be greater in J cheese, which was not the case in our study. The lack of effect of J milk on texture is surprising because the increase in fat in DM (Table 3) should have decreased cheese firmness (Martin et al, 2000).…”

“…The time from cutting to milling was increased for 100% J milk because of a lower acidity development, which was also reported by Whitehead (1948), who advised the use of more starter to overcome this problem. However, this only occurred in the summer, which is in agreement with Banks et al (1984a).…”

“…Moisture was reduced when J milk was used in spring and summer (Figure 3). Whitehead (1948) also found moisture to be decreased when J milk was used, because of higher syneresis, and noted that similar moisture could readily be achieved through the adaptation of the scalding temperature. The moisture in nonfat substance was not found to be different between inclusion rates, but the levels were slightly higher than that considered as optimal for Cheddar cheese (50-56%) by Banks et al (1984b).…”

“…Auldist et al (2004) found that the moisture content and composition of J and H-F Cheddar cheeses made with standardized milk were not different, with the exception of a higher salt concentration and lower pH and ash concentration for J cheese. On the other hand, Whitehead (1948) found that Cheddar cheese from nonstandardized J milk had a lower moisture content and the cheese was also firmer. However, the cheesemaking process also had to be adapted to account for differences in acidity development and syneresis.…”