The analysis and adulteration of foods / by James Bell.

  • Bell, James, 1824-1908.
Date:
1881-1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The analysis and adulteration of foods / by James Bell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    91/210 (page 77)
    the curd is put into the press-vats whilst perfectly sweet, and no acid is added to, or acidity produced in, the curd before this stage; but as the curd is not salted, and nothing is present to check fermentation, the necessary amount of acidity is produced during the first few hours the curd is in the press. The old plan of preparing the curd for vatting consisted in working it repeatedly through the fingers until it was reduced to fine pieces, but owing to the great amount of manual labour which this method involved, curd-mills were introduced, and are now generally employed in cheese factories. The grinding of the curd enables it to be packed evenly in the press-vat, assists the escape of the superfluous whey, and facilitates the uniform mixing of the salt with the curd. Although the process of cheese-making described above is general in its essential features, yet various modifications of it are practised in districts where the cheese, such as Stilton, is of a special character. Salting.—The quantity of salt added to the curd is generally governed by its richness in milk fat, as it would appear that a curd rich in fat requires a smaller proportion of salt than a poor one to prevent excessive fermentation in the cheese. Too much salt exercises an injurious effect by retarding fermentation and preventing the cheese from ripening. Pressing.—The curd, when ground and salted, is transferred to press-vats and subjected to pressure for two or three days, during which time the cheese is turned once or twice daily and the wet cloths replaced by dry ones. Curing.—From the press-room the cheese is removed to the curing-room, which requires to be maintained at a uniform temperature of about 70° F. (21-1° C), in order to produce a mellow and sweet-flavoured cheese. A variation of temperature, rising or falling much above or below 70° F., is prejudicial to the cheese.