RENNET AND SALT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 751, 23 July 1886, Page 15

RENNET AND SALT.

The following address is reported m tne North British Agriculturist as delivered by J. B. IT arris, Canadian Cheese Instructor in Galloway and Dumfriesshire, at the meeting of the Scottish Dairy Association in Kilmarnock : Kennet seems to be the only sure agent by which the cheesy matter of milk can be separated from the whey. Its office is not simply to produce coagulation ; it goes further, and exercises an important part not only in the curing of the cheese but also in bringing about that condition which we call digestibility. It is intended that the cheese shall go into market in from forty to fifty days (which should always be the case in the early part of the season with fodder-made cheese) enough of rennet should be used to ensure the process of coagulation, beginning in from 10 to 12

minutes with milk in proper condition. Rennet sufficient to accomplish this result will, in the time limited for sale, have performed all that is desired in preparing the product for the table. It will be seen by this, if we have been clear in explaining the idea, that the time of curing rather than the condition and quality of milk should govern the quantity used. Milk well matured will coagulate with less rennet than when sweet and new, but this should make no difference with the quantity used, as the curing of the cheese is what we must consider. If the milk is partly Bkimmed, or in a time of year that it is not so rich, more rennet should be used, as the richer the milk the less rennet is required. This is where many cheese makers fail, who never change their quantity in spring, summer, or autumn. I found many dairies the past season in which splendid cheese was made through June, July, and part August; but when milk became richer, by reason of the cows giving a less quantity, their cheese was soft. If they had decreased their rennet, and increased their heat and salt, their product would have been firm, solid, and good in texture. There are no rules by which we may be governed in the use of salt other than very general ones. We should beat in mind always that a portion passes off in the whey in pressing, more or less according to the amount of moisture contained in the curd. We should remember that the purpose of salt is not simple to secure flavor ; it is used also a 9 a preservative, and a check upon the action of rennet. We must, therefore, have in mind four distinct considerations in the application of salt. First, the amount of loss to be sustained in pressing ; second, flavor ; third, the amount of rennet used ; and fourth, the time of curing. By the use of salt we so balance a set of natural processes as to compel them in a given length of time to produce for us a given result—it depending altogether on the skill of the operator what that result shad be.

From what has been said it will appear that little of anything can be effected by the use of figures in regard to the quantity of salt to be used. However, we will give two general propositions which may serve in some degree as a guide to the operator in this matter. When curd contains about 40 per cent of moisture it is in its normal condition, and when this is the case and we desire to sell in 40 or 50 days, we should use If lbs to each lOOlbs of curd. Again, with the curd normal in moisture, if we desire that our product remain on our shelves indefinitely, we should use 2§-lbs. From this it will be seen that in the use of salt we should take into consideration not only the condition of the curd as to moisture, but also the time that is required for caring, thus avoiding the error of using a quantity of salt which would counteract or limit the action of the rennet, as it is a well known fact that salt and rennet work in opposite directions.