Cheese Making
Practical Action
Correct time and pressure during pressing the curd to give the required texture in the final
product.
Correct time of ripening and ripening conditions, which affect the flavour and texture.
Reasons for imperfect cheeses:
Sour acid flavour is due to too much lactic acid produced by the fermentation, or too much
whey retained in the curd.
Yeasty or sweet flavours indicate that yeasts, moulds or bacteria were introduced into the
cheese by unclean utensils or a contaminated starter culture, or that the milk was not
properly pasteurised.
Soft, wet curd is due to too much moisture in the cheese, the development of too much acid
during the fermentation, heating the curd at too high or too low a temperature.
Tough, dry curd results from insufficient acid development in the curd before it is cut,
cutting the curd too finely, heating to a temperature that is too high, or holding the curd for
too long after cooking.
Product control
The main quality factors for cheese are the colour, taste and texture. The colour is determined
mostly by the amount of heating during processing and the fat content of the milk. The taste and
texture are both determined by the amount of lactic acid produced during the fermentation and
this in turn depends on the amount of inoculum added to the milk and the temperature/time of
incubation.
Packaging and storage control
For a shelf life of a few weeks, cheese does not require sophisticated packaging provided that the
temperature is kept relatively low and the cheese is not allowed to dry out. In a refrigerator the
product may be wrapped in ‘clingfilm’ or sealed in a polythene bag using a heat sealer.
Summary
Cheeses are medium-risk dairy products that can be made successfully at a small scale. Curd
cheeses may be more popular in many countries than hard cheeses and they are easier to make at
a small scale and require a lower capital investment. Skill and expertise is required to make hard
cheeses, there may also be a delay in receiving income while the cheese matures. A study of the
market demand is recommended before starting hard cheese production.
Equipment
Cheese moulds. Simple cheese moulds can be made from a 10 cm diameter plastic
drainpipe cut into 10 cm-25 cm lengths and having holes drilled to allow drainage of
whey. They are fitted with a plastic or wooden disc for the base section.
Cheese press (Fig. 3). Manual cheese presses have a press plate, which is raised and
lowered by a screw. A muslin or cheese cloth bag is placed in the mould and curd is
poured in. The bag is closed and the press plate is lowered into the mould.
Cheese vat (Fig. 1)
Cooler/refrigerator
Curd cutters (Fig. 2)
Heat sealer
Thermometer (0-100oC)
Scales. 0-1 kg +/- 1 g for weighing ingredients, 0-25 kg +/- 100 g for milk
Materials
Lactic acid bacteria starter culture and rennet tablets/liquid are likely to be available
locally from pharmacies in large towns or from dairy suppliers.
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