Cheese making; a book for practical cheesemakers, factory patrons, agricultural colleges and dairy schools

Front matter

f

Cheddar

Swiss

Preface

Decker's "Cheesemaking" was published in 1893 for the use of students in the first American Dairy School, which had been established in 1891 at the Wisconsin College of Agriculture. The distinguished success of the book both in the English language and in a French translation by Emile Castele for French-Canadian cheesemakers, is a lasting tribute to the memory of its original author.

Covering only cheddar cheesemaking in the first edition, the work was revised and enlarged by Professor Decker for three later editions. After his death it was again revised by Dr. F. W. Woll, one of Professor Decker's colleagues at the University of Wisconsin.

The continued growth of the cheese industry in America, and the large number of foreign cheese varieties now being made here on account of decreased importations, have resulted in an increased demand for Decker's book among cheesemakers and dairy schools. The complete exhaustion of the past editions has afforded an opportunity for rewriting and enlarging the book to meet present day needs.

The new edition, as heretofore, is intended for use by cheesemakers and by Winter Dairy Students, who will study the general chapters in Part I, and the chapters in Part II, especially relating to the kinds of cheese which they intend to make. The numbering of sections in boldface type, and the index, provide means for ready reference to all topics discussed.

As a new feature of the present edition, the book has been enlarged in scope, and designed to form the basis for regular class work in agricultural schools and colleges. These students may begin with Part II, using chapters XX, XXI, VI (acidimeter), XXII, XXIII, VII (rennet) previous to the making of rennet cheese described in the later chapters. Before beginning American cheese (chaps. XXVII and XXIX) the rennet tests (chapter VI) should be studied, and while making American cheese and other varieties repeatedly in the work room, the class may study the remaining chapters of Parts I and II, thus utilizing the entire book, if time permits.

Acknowledgment is due for the loan of cuts by the Wisconsin Experiment Station; The Marschall Dairy Laboratory of Madison, Wis.; Stoelting Bros., Kiel, Wis.; Brillion Iron Works, Brillion, Wis.; Creamery Package Mfg. Co., Chicago, 111.; Damrow Bros., Fond du Lac, Wis., and Louis F. Nafis, Chicago.

The book is designed to meet the needs of cheesemakers, dealers, factory patrons, students and others interested in the subject of cheesemaking.

J. L. Sammis.

Madison, July 1, 1918.

To

STEPHEN MOULTON BABCOCK, Ph.D., Sc.D., Chief Chemist of The Wisconsin Experiment Station

Who, as a teacher, and later as a co-worker, by patient labor

and wise counsel, inspired the author with a greater love

for the profession of dairying,

THIS BOOK IS INSCRIBED

DR. STEPHEN MOULTON BABCOCK.

Medal lo Dr. Babcock by Wisconsin legislature in 1899.

Part I. General Facts for Cheesemakers. Chapter Page

I — The Cheesemaker's Education 1

II — Production and Care of Milk on the Farm 5

III — Inspection of Milk at the Intake 9

IV — Conditions Affecting the Ripeness of Milk in the Vat 17

V — A Good Starter for Cheesemaking 21

VI — Tests for Ripeness of Milk, Whey, Starter, Curd, etc 25

VII — Calf Stomachs, Rennet Extract, Pepsin, etc 38

VIII — The Composition of Milk, Whey and Curd 44

IX — The Composition of Cheese 47

X — Cheese Tests for Moisture and Fat 49

XI — Cheese Judging and Scoring 55

XII — Planning Factories, Large or Small 63

XIII — Cheese Factory Management 68

XIV — Cheese Selling and Cheese Boards 75

XV— Whey Cream and Whey Butter 78

XVI — Payments for Cheese Factory Milk 83

XVII — Conditions Affecting Cheese Curing 93

XVIII — Cleanliness in the Cheese Factory 100

XIX— The Food Value of Cheese 103

Part II. Cheese Varieties, Their Classification and Manufacture. Chapter

XX— Method of Classifying Cheese Varieties 105

XXI— The Making of Casein 111

XXII— Cottage Cheese 117

XXIII — Cured Cheese from Sour Milk Curd. Hand Cheese,

Sap Sago. Experiments on Curdling Temperatures, 124 XXIV — Fresh, Soft Rennet Cheese. Junket. Neufchatel.

Skim Milk Neufchatel in Loaves. Coulommier 131

XXV — -Soft, Ripened Rennet Cheese. Camembert. Brie.

Limberger. Brick. Muenster 139

XXVI — Hard, Ripened, Rennet Cheese. Swiss. Edam. Gouda. 147

XXVII — American Cheese for Three Markets 159

XXVIII — Minor Sorts of American Cheese 167

XXIX — Details of American Cheese Making Process 181

XXX — Italian Cheese in America. Whey Cheese 217

XXXI— Primost 220

XXXII — Blue Veined Cheese Ripened With Molds Inside. Roquefort, Stilton, and Gorgonzola i _. 223

PART I.

GENERAL FACTS FOR CHEESEMAKERS

Chapter I. The Cheesemaker's Education

(1) Aims. While working in the cheesefactory, or at the Dairy School, the young or old cheesemaker tries to learn (a) the best way to do each part of his work, (b) the reasons why, in every case, and (c) he will try to learn more than one way to do each operation, because different factories have different equipment, or emergencies may arise when the regular equipment can not be used, or special methods of handling curd may be advisable.

(2) Sources of Information. The Winter Dairy School student has already had six months' experience as a helper in a factory, and has learned much from his employer and from visits to neighboring factories. At the Dairy School are gathered people from all parts of the country, from large and small factories, where different methods of making are used. By getting well acquainted and talking often with each other, students may learn much.

Dairy papers, giving the cheese markets, factory and trade news, are published in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, California, New Zealand, etc. Every student should examine these papers in the library, and subscribe to the one or more which he prefers.

In addition to the books on Milk Testing and on Cheesemaking which the student buys, there are in the agricultural library cheesemaking books in English, French, German, Danish, Spanish, Italian, etc.

Bulletins from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, at Washington, D. C, from the Experiment Stations at Madison, Wis., Ithaca, N. Y., Geneva, N. Y., Ames, Iowa,

St. Paul, Minn., and from other dairy states and foreign countries give valuable information.

Instructors at the Dairy School will discuss every part of the work in class room and work rooms, and are glad to answer questions. A dairy society, meeting regularly, and holding weekly discussions on cheesemaking topics and other subjects is of great value to students, also affording practice in organizing and conducting meetings of factory patrons, in public speaking, etc.

(3) The Student's Duty. Be prompt at all classes. Pay close attention so as not to need to be told twice. Write down all that is new to you, because

(1) facts are presented too fast to be remembered,

(2) writing them down helps one to remember,

(3) written notes can be studied over and reviewed

when needed.

Just as you have a daily schedule of class work, arrange for yourself a fixed plan for daily study. Take a short brisk walk out of doocs daily and a long walk at least once a week, for your health Eat moderately. Sleep with windows open.

"Personal cleanliness* is of the first and highest importance with factory operators. Keep your body clean and your mind clear. Dirt and ignorance cost the dairy industry millions of dollars annually. Each student should take a thorough bath at least once a week. There is no excuse for lack of cleanliness. See that your underclothes as well as your overalls are always clean through frequent changes. Each morning before appearing in the class room, the student will give his hands and finger nails special attention and in all respects be in suitable form for creamery and cheesefactory inspection. In general, we hope in our Dairy School to teach not only how to make butter and cheese but to inculcate habits of great personal neatness, and an intense desire to have everything about the factory clean, tidy and in business form."

(4) Experience in Many Lines. In a commercial factory, the helper is sometimes kept busy upon a narrow line of work, as washing hoops or cans, and has little chance

♦From "Advice to Students" by Prof. E. H. Farrington.

The Cheesemaker's Education. 3

to learn other parts of the work. At the dairy school, instruction is given in all parts of the work.

The maker in a factory must do his own work, and also be prepared to give advice to his patrons on many subjects connected with dairy farming, factory business, etc. The dairy school student should therefore try to learn all he can about the following subjects, among otjhers.

(1) How to keep factory and equipment clean and in

good repair.

(2) How to erect and operate machinery, shafting, pip-

ing, etc.

(3) Best methods of producing clean milk on patrons'

farms.

(4) How patrons may make their herds more profitable.

(5) How to inspect and test milk at the factory intake.

(6) How to make one or more kinds of cheese.

(7) How to take care of cheese in the curing room.

(8) Packing, wrapping, paraffining cheese for shipment.

(9) How to divide factory profits among patrons.

(10) The advantages of whey skimming to the patrons.

(11) The location, arrangement, and equipment of a new

factory.

(12) The organization and business management of a

factory.

(13) Should a factory be owned by patrons or maker?

(14) What by-products or side lines are profitable?

(15) Which pays better, butter or cheesemaking?

(16) How to judge the quality and faults of cheese, etc.

(17) How to make prize cheese for cheesemakers' conven-

tion, State Fair, etc.

Experienced factorymen, attending a Special Course in February for a week or two, have time to study one or two chosen subjects, such as milk testing, factory payments, whey skimming, starter making, fancy cheesemaking, or cheese moisture testing, etc.

Agricultural students in the four-year college course study cheese-making throughout the year, without previous factory experience, and learn how to make numerous kinds of cheese and related products which are of commercial importance in this country. These students may begin the

Cheese Making.

study at Part II, and make the following from directions there given, while also covering Part I in the class room.

First Half Year Classification of cheese varieties.

Casein with sulphuric acid Casein from sour milk Wet and dry casein Casein from buttermilk Cottage cheese from skim milk Hand cheese, cooked cheese Buttermilk cheese from raw or

pasteurized cream Rennet tests and acid tests Neufchatel Coulommier

Soft ripened rennet cheese Lunch, isigny, camembert Brie, liedertafel Curd test, fermentation test

Second Half Year Limburger cheese Brick cheese, Edam Swiss cheese, block, American cheese, whole milk;

soft or firm,

granular or milled,

skim or part skim Club and mixed cheese Testing cheese for fat Testing cheese for moisture Inspection of factories (trip) Cheese lunch, many kinds, sampled Cheese judging and scoring .^tf^aufl Primost, whey butter ttt

Italian skim and whey cheese „2^

Chapter II. Production And Care Of Milk On The Farm

(5) Importance of Clean Milk Supply. For the success of the factory it is necessary that the milk produced on each farm be kept clean by keeping dirt out of it, and that it be properly cooled, and delivered promptly and in good condition for cheesemaking. It is the cheesemaker's duty to see that these things are done and to show the patron how when necessary. The cheesemaker can give the farmer two reasons why milk should be clean and sweet when brought to the factory, (1) because with defective milk there is sure to be a loss either in the yield or quality of the cheese, and (2) because the laws of most states prohibit the sale or delivery of any insanitary milk at any factory, under penalty of fine and imprisonment.

The cheesemaker's success in his work depends, more than anything else, on his ability to keep his patrons interested in improving the milk supply of the factory.

(6) Clean Milkers and Utensils. The milkers' hands should be kept clean and. dry while milking. Milking machines, if used, require intelligent and diligent inspection and

Fig. 3.— Closed top pails should be more generally used. They can be purchased from dealers, or the ordinary milk pail can be provided with a suitable top by any tinsmith.

cleaning daily, following the directions furnished with the machine. A closed top milk pail excludes three-fourths of the falling dirt, and is a great help in clean milk production. A cloth or cotton batting strainer is the most effective kind if kept properly clean, but if not kept clean it becomes a source of infection and injury to the milk, and on farms where this occurs, an all metal strainer is preferable, because it is more easily kept clean than a cloth. Immediately after use, the milk pails, strainers and cans should be rinsed first with cool water, then washed with hot water, a brush, and a good washing powder, and rinsed,, and finally scalded or steamed thoroughly, and kept in a milk house or other clean place until needed. It is not sufficient, as some patrons suppose, to rinse a milk can out with dish water, or to wipe it with a dirty cloth, for such methods leave great numbers of germs in the utensils, which will later make the milk sour or bad flavored, and injure the cheese. Probably dirty utensils spoil milk more frequently than any other one cause.

A simple device consisting of a covered pan of water and an oil or gasoline stove, etc., has been described in Farmers bulletin 748, from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, by which cans, pails, strainers, separators, bowls, etc., can be steamed in a few minutes on the farm. Large factories, and many condensaries and city milk buyers wash, steam, and dry all patrons' cans as soon as emptied, and require the use of a different set of cans for hauling back the whey, etc. Steaming whey in the factory whey tank helps greatly in keeping cans clean.

(7) Clean Cows and Stables.. Barns and yards should be kept in such condition that the cows can keep themselves reasonably clean. In the stable where cows are milked, there should be neither dust falling from the ceiling, nor a wet, muddy floor underneath, nor a foul smell in the air. A well lighted and ventilated stable, whitewashed once or twice a year is essential.

Clean comfortable quarters and kind treatment are essential, if cows are to do their best. Some authorities believe that milk is secreted to a large extent at the time of milking, since the udder has room for only a small portion of the milk yielded* by the cow at a milking; when a cow is excited or disturbed at that time, she may fail to produce as much milk of the same quality as usual.

Cows should not be obliged to wade through a muddy barnyard, or lie down in a filthy stable. If the cow's flanks and udder are not caked with mud or manure, a very little

Production and Care of Milk on the Farm. 7

brushing or wiping before milking will remove loose hairs and dirt, so that these will not fall into the pail.

Fig. 4. — A section through a quarter of a cow's udder. From a photograph (Cornell Univ. Experiment Station).

All dusty feeds as hay and strong smelling or strong flavored feeds as silage should be fed just after milking, rather than just before.

(8) Cooling and Holding Milk. The pails of milk are carried immediately from the stalls to the milk room and strained into milk cans, which are set in the cold water tank. If stirred frequently with a dipper, the milk in the cans will be cooled to the temperature of the well water, within an hour's time after it was drawn from the cow. The tank is again filled with cold water before leaving for the night.

With a tin cooler filled with cold water, placed between the strainer and the milk can, milk can be cooled most rapidly. If it is to be hauled any great distance, the morning's milk should be cooled, but if the factory is near by, it is often delivered without cooling. Never mix warm morning's milk with cold night's milk at the farm.

Aeration can never cool milk sufficiently in warm weather, but is likely to cause milk to take up dust and bad odors. Under ordinary farm conditions, the aerator is likely to do more harm than good, and should not be used.

Chapter III. Inspection And Tests Of Milk At The Intake

(9) Reasons for Inspection. The reasons for careful daily inspection of milk at the factory are, (1) that any defective milk may be detected before it enters the cheese vat, and sent back to the farm, together with advice or instructions to the farmer as to how he may avoid such trouble next time. Proper attention to this is part of the maker's duty and protects careful patrons from having their good milk injured by mixing with defective milk from a careless patron. It also protects both maker and patrons from possible prosecution and fine by official inspectors visiting the factory at unexpected times, and finding that unfit milk is being offered and accepted.

(2) Another important reason for inspection is that it gives the maker, at the earliest possible moment, a knowledge as to what kind of milk he has today, so that he may handle it to the best advantage.

In addition, careful daily inspection of milk impresses the patrons with the importance of handling milk properly at the farm, and sets them a good example.

(10) To Prepare for Milk Inspection. Intakes should be built so that the maker can step up, examine, and smell every can of milk before it is poured into the weigh can, and make such other tests as he desires. A great many factories, especially the Swiss, brick and Limburger factories, are not so built. Intake inspection by the cheesemaker should include, first, his own equipment and outer clothing, to- see that his overalls, weigh can, strainer, conductor and vat are in fit condition, before the patrons come.

(11) Possible Defects to be Found in Milk. Milk inspection is intended to show faulty conditions under which milk was produced, stored or delivered, as judged by

(1) the temperature, color, odor, taste, the presence of dirt in the milk, or in the bottom, sides, or shoulder of the can, or on the can, wagon, or hauler,

Cheese Making.

obtained, as a means of picking out those patrons who bring the unclean milk causing the trouble.

An outfit may be purchased of dealers, for holding 6 or 12 milk samples. Most factories have more than 12 patrons, and the need for using the curd test often arises suddenly, when there is no time to send for an outfit. In such cases, an iron wash tub and a set of two or three dozen pint fruit jars can be obtained at any country store, and will answer the purpose.

The tub, jars, and covers are cleaned, and scalded thoroughly with boiling water or by running steam into the tub-

Fig. 5.- — -Wisconsin Curd Test Outfit of the form sold by dealers.

ful of water containing the jars and lids. The jars are then covered and set in a clean place near the intake ready for use. A portion of each patron's milk is caught in a pint jar held over the weigh can, and the jar is marked with the patron's number. This may be done on the metal cover, or the surface of the" jar may be roughened at one spot by rubbing with a wet file, and the number written there with a black lead pencil. When all of the samples are taken, the jars are set in a tub of water at about 110 degrees for a short time, until the milk is raised to a temperature of 95-100 degrees, F. Ten drops of rennet extract are added to each jar in order, mixing it through the milk by stirring with a thermometer or case knife, which has been just previously scalded in hot water. After a few minutes standing quiet, the milk in each jar thickens, and the curd is then finely

Inspection of Milk at the Intake.

Fig. 6.

Curd Test.

-Curds from milk of different quality as produced in the Wisconsin

Upper figure, curd from a good milk. Large, irregular, mechanical holes.

Middle figure, curd from tainted milk. Numerous small ""pin holes" due to gas formed by harmful germs in the milk.

Lower figure, curd from a foul mik. When received this milk showed no abnormal symptoms, but the foul odor and spongy texture appeared in six to eightihours due to the presence of filth germs.

By means of this test, the factory operator can determine which patron brings the gassy milk causing defective cheese.

Cheese Making.

test immediately so that he can see it, in comparison with those previously taken.

The sediment discs, showing the dirt collected from one pint of milk, are very effective and convincing, as well as surprising to the patrons. Where the test is repeated at irregular intervals, about once a week or oftener, an improvement in cleanliness is the result, as no one likes to have the dirtiest milk test more than once.

The sediment on the filter disc may consist mainly of. fine grained black sand, where cows have access to a marsh, or

Fig. 9. — Sediment tests from different grades ~of milk.

may be yellow in color, indicating manure, or sometimes white and curdy due to a sick cow. A slight yellowish tint may be seen, due to the color of milk and butter fat.

In very dirty sediment tests, particles of straw, chaff, silage, manure, hair, sand, etc., can often be seen.

Dirty milk at the farm may be strained through cotton batting or flannel, removing all sediment, so as to give a clean sediment test, and yet contain the soluble material and the bacteria which can not be thus filtered out of milk.

The sediment test has been widely used with good success by inspectors, instructors, and factorymen.

Chapter IV. Conditions Affecting The Ripeness Of Milk In The Cheese Vat

(18) The Growth of Germs in Milk. Bacteria grow rapidly in warm milk. Thus at 68 degrees F. one germ in milk may produce over 6,000 germs in 24 hours, while at 50 degrees F. there may be only 4 or 5 produced. On this

Progeny of a Single Germ © ■"twelve hours.

Fig. 10. — At temperatures above 55 degrees, the growth of bacteria in milk is rapid. From Wis. bul.

account, milk should either be used immediately after milking for cheesemaking, as at Swiss and Limburger cheese factories where milk is delivered and cheese made twice daily; or else the night's milk should be promptly cooled and kept cool until delivered in the morning (section 8). The lactic acid germs more or less rapidly change milk sugar into lactic acid, and thus sour the milk.

(19) The Acidity of Fresh Milk. Although perfectly fresh milk contains no lactic acid, yet it may show by the acidimeter about .12-15% acidity if low in solids (as from

3 to 3.5% fat) and .16-19% acidity if high in solids (as from

4 to 6% of fat), this acidity being due to the casein, mineral salts, etc., normally present in fresh milk.

(24) Effect of Adding Starter. Immediately after adding starter, and heating to 86 .degrees, another acid test or rennet test may be made, and the milk will be found to be a little higher in percent of acid, or lower in time required to thicken with rennet, than before the starter was added, due to the lactic acid contained in the starter. The lactic germs in the starter will usually require an hour or more to begin producing acid after they are added to the vat. If repeated tests, made every few minutes after adding starter, show that the ripeness is steadily increasing, this is due to the lactic germs which were in the milk, before starter was added.

Chapter V. A Good Starter For Cheesemaking

(25) Qualities of a Good Starter. A first class lactic starter for creamery use will usually be good also for cheesemaking, although a poor starter is more likely to injure the quality of cheese than of butter.

A good starter should have a pleasant, mild, acid flavor and odor, as a sharp, sour flavor like vinegar is likely to show also in the cheese. The texture should be free from gas holes, and should not be wheyed off (at 72 degrees), but smooth and creamy in order that when stirred into the vat, the lactic germs may be easily distributed through the milk and not retained in lumps of curd. A starter contains the largest number of living, active lactic germs when its acidity is about .6-7%, and it has just recently thickened at 72 degrees, F. It is then in the best condition either for adding to the cheese vat, or for transfer to another lot of milk for starter making. With proper handling, a good starter can be kept in daily use without deterioration for a long time, sometimes for months or years. For this purpose, the best rule is to transfer it every day into some freshly pasteurized milk.

(26) Materials for Making Starter. To prepare 1 percent of starter for use with 5,000 lbs. of milk, obtain (1) 55-60 lbs. of good, clean, fresh whole milk, and (2) a pint of first class sour milk, or starter, or a commercial culture of lactic acid germs.

(27) Select Milk for Starter Making. To get suitable milk for starter making, it is best to select the fresh, morning's milk from the best patron, and pour this directly into shot gun cans, or other cans used for starter making. Milk taken from the cheese vat after all patrons have come is not so good, because some gas or taint producing germs may have been present in the milk from one farm or another.

Whey from today's cheese is not good to make tomorrow's starter with, because it may carry over harmful germs and to let it stand unopened and unshaken for several days, after which it is examined to see if it has developed gas bubbles, or a bad flavor, or has wheyed off.

(34) Commercial Culture For Starter Making. In addition to a supply of good starter milk (section 27) a good culture of lactic germs must also be provided. This may be a portion of yesterday's starter, or it may be obtained either (1) from a neighboring cheese factory, or by purchase from a dealer in factory supplies, or (2) as a "natural" starter.

Dealers supply commercial cultures in small bottles as "liquid" or as a "dry" powder. The liquid culture should have stood long enough to curdle in the bottle, but should be used for starter making while fresh as shown by the date on the bottle. A dry culture on the other hand will keep in good condition in the bottle for a somewhat longer time, but may be slower in growing when first used, as the drying of the culture may kill a part of the germs present. Full directions are printed on the bottle, for growing these cultures for one to three days in quart jars before using them in a large can of starter.

(35) Natural Starter. To obtain a "natural" starter, scald out several pint fruit jars with lids, carry these to a nearby farm selected for cleanliness. With clean hands and other precautions to exclude dirt (sections 6, 7) draw some milk from a clean cow. Throw away the first two or three streams of milk from the teat, and then milk directly into one of the jars. Repeat this with several jars and different cows. Cover each jar to exclude dust, and take all the jars to the factory. Keep them covered at about 95-100 degrees until the milk thickens, which may require 12 to 48 hours. Reject any curds which are gassy or wheyed off, and select the best flavored of the remaining curds, if satisfactory, to be transferred to some pasteurized milk for starter making. Sometimes all of the samples thus taken at a barn may turn out unsatisfactory, and another set may be taken from another source. The commercial culture is 'commonly preferred as quicker, and surer to be satisfactory.

Chapter VI. Tests For Ripeness Of Milk, Whey, Starter, Etc

(36) Odor and Taste. By the odor or taste of milk at the intake, or of milk or whey in the vat, or of starter, an experienced factoryman can judge whether it is fresh and sweet or how ripe it is. Cheesemakers and students should learn to judge the condition of milk, whey, etc., by its odor, tasting it also when necessary.

(37) The Acidimeter or "Mann's Acid Test." (a) This test is very generally used in Canadian cheese factories, and is taught at Dairy Schools along with other tests. It has been used with satisfaction by a number of leading cheesemakers in the United States.

The test is made in a variety of modified forms. The most practical method is probably the following, which is employed at the Wisconsin Dairy School and elsewhere:

(a) A 17.6 cc. pipette, the same as used for the Babcock test, is filled to the mark with the milk or whey, etc., to be tested, and is then emptied into a white porcelain, cup, preferably wide and flat bottomed rather than narrow and deep, (b) Two drops of indicator solution are then added to the cup. The indicator solution contains 10 grams of phenolphthalein powder dissolved in a quart of denatured alcohol. Sometimes the more expensive 95% grain alcohol is used for the purpose, dissolving the powder completely in one pint of the alcohol, and then adding slowly about two-thirds of a pint of distilled water or condensed steam, or even rain water, but not adding enough water to make the liquid turn milky white.