Cheese making process is evolving with years and hence many industries today have embarked on making of cheese. The chief ingredient in this process is milk. The source of this milk varies with different parts of the world. In most cases cow milk is used but in producers in many countries may opt for goat or sheep milk. Other type of milk for example buffalo milk is today used in production of Mozzarella cheese. Other milk sources for example: deer, camel, horses, llamas, and yaks, are also used in preparing diverse types of cheese and cheese blends(Leverentz, 2010).
This vital process starts by the curdling process, this involves coagulating of milk until the time it changes to curds. In the contemporary industrial setting, this process of separation of solids and liquids is speeded up with the help of bacteria and enzymes with coagulating properties. This key process starts by warming of the milk until it arrives at a temperature that the bacteria can’t survive. In order to produce a specific color in the final product, coloring dyes arte introduced. Once the milk attains an unswerving temperature, there is addition of the starter culture and the milk starts to become one large curd.
As the large curd is formed, it is stirred and slashed and this allows the whey to be drained off. This milk is then heated again in order to bring whey amount to minimal levels. After finishing the process of removing the whey, the curd that is warm is shaped and molded to form cheese. Molding in the current industry is done by use of cheese wheels. The warm curd is emptied and hard-pressed into the molding.
The salting process is mostly done before and after molding. Salt is vital since it plays an important part in the creation of the outer coat of a cheese normally known as the cheese rind. The more the salt, the thicker the coating as it is in the Swiss cheese. After molding and salting processes, the cheese is given time to ripen. The duration of ripening varies with some taking two weeks and others taking even up to seven years. In this ripening process temperature is kept constant. It is at this duration that the cheese rind is formed be it naturally or by artificial methods.
During this stage the rind of the cheese is treated with alcohol, wax, bacteria, oils, and or water in the maturing stage in order to spice coloring and flavor. Washed rind types, for instance, are regularly washed and brushed in order to endorse an even bacteria development on the surface and avoid the drying out of their insides. Cheddar cheeses are salted and then wrapped with cotton, and after this they are left without being disturbed until they arrive at maturity(pavilionsfoods, 1996).
Due to today’s advancement in technology and the government restriction on the use of bacteria, it has become essential to use the milk that has been pasteurized instead of using fresh milk. Cheese should always be stored in a cold place away from the presence of other foods that smell heavily. They should be warmed in order to increase their flavor. It is also advisable that soft cheese not to be wrapped by plastics but by wax paper.
References
Leverentz, J. (2010). Complete Idiot Guide to Cheese Making. New York: Penguin Group.
