CHEESE PROBLEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20601, 27 June 1930, Page 5

CHEESE PROBLEMS.

OPENNESS IN TEXTURE. EFFORTS TO FIND CAUSES. RESEARCH INSTITUTE'S WORK. [HT TUT.TftHAPTT.—OWN COnnZSrONDENT. ] HAMILTON. Thursday. A comprehensive address on tha investigations into cheese problems by the Dairy Research Institute was given by the director, Professor W. Itiddet, at the National Dairy Association Conference today. "The institute's conclusions are based on information obtained from an examination of the dairy produce manufactured 'in tha Massey College dairy factory under carefully controlled conditions, of which accurate records are kept," he said. "Every endeavour is made to avoid the expression of premature opinions which are apt to bo misleading." "Of all dairy produce troubles, cheese problems have received most attention," Professor Riddet continued. "Openness in cheese is by no means a new defect, but it would appear that within recent ve.ars an even greater proportion of New Zealand cheese shows openness in texture. Whatever the cause or causes might be, this comparatively recent development synchronises with tha period of most rapid increase in dairying, consequent upon the opening up of new dairying districts and the introduction of intensive farming practice. Possible Causes of Trouble. "It is just possible that tha correlation of these factors, with the increase in the prevalence of openness, may eventually throw some light on the cause of the trouble. It was conceivable, for instance, that there was something inherent in the miik produced in certain districts which rendered the manufacture of close cheese a very difficult matter. "It was surely more than a coincidence that experienced factory managers, who alwnvs aimed at quality, had encountered difficulties they could not surmount. Many cases were known of factory managers who had been able to manufacture finest grade cheese in one district, yet they had been unable to get similar results in another district, although they applied just as much skill and care in their work.' The following summary waa given by Professor Riddet of investigation into openness: —(1) There are three types of openness, (a) mechanical, (b) slit, (c) fermentation. The causes of these three conditions may be dependent of one another. (2) No distinct correlation has been found between' high numbers of germs in miik, nor between the amount of chemical constituents and openness of any kind. The nature of the organisms and of the milk constituents may, however, exert an influence. It is known that New Zealand milk differs tram other milk in some respects. Quality of the Milk. (3). Good, pure miik gives the cheesemaker the best chance of making close cheese, although there is no guarantee that it will produce cheese free from slit openness. Thus farm instruction and milk grading are highly desirable. (4) Impure miik certainly deteriorates flavour, and may be conducive to mechanical openness. (5) Slow vat 3 tend to induce mechanical openness. The cause of slow vats is not clearly known. (6) Milk from some districts is more difficult to make into close cheese than the milk of other districts. of milk does not appear in the institute's preliminary investigations to be responsible for openness of any type. (3) Soft-bodied curds are more conducive to slit openness in chec-se than wellcooked curds carrying the necessary acidity. (9) Excessive salting injures cbe.esp body and delays maturity, although it tends to bring about closer texture. (10) The careless packing of hoops favours slit openness. (11) Pressure may be a factor in accentuating openness, but faults in ordinary methods of pressing are nut the prime cause. (12) The careful control of cheese while in the curing room ia important. High temperatures of curing rouma should be avoided. (13) The cracking of cheese surfaces on exposure to air depends to a certain extent on maturity, and other conditions may play a part. (15) Further research is required 011 factors affecting the curing of cheese, methods of pressing, chemical constituents of milk and curd in relation to cheesemaking, the cause of 3iuw vats and the influence of starters.