CONDITION AFFECTING WEIGHT LOST BY CHEESE IN CURING

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1617, 25 February 1903, Page 61

CONDITION AFFECTING WEIGHT LOST BY CHEESE IN CURING

(By L. L. Van Slyke, in ‘‘New York Station Bulletin.”) A systematic study of this subject has "been made* at the station tor the past three years. The curing rooms and the means' of controlling temperature and moisture in vise at the station are described, as is also the determination of atmospheric moisture bj' the hygrometer. The chief conditions affecting the loss of weight m cheese during curing, which for practical purposes may be considered as due entirely to the loss of moisture "by evaporation, as stated by the author, are: (1) the percentage of moisture originally present in the cheese; t2) the texture of the cheese ; t 3) the temperature of the curing room ; (4) the size and shape of the cheese ; and (5) the proportion of water vapour present in the air of the curing; room.

Considerable experimental data concerning these conditions are reported. It was”found that cheese containing the most water loses the most in weight. In one experiment, cheese containing originally 55 per cent, of water lost IG.B per cent, in four weeks, wane cheese containing 35 per cent, of water lost only 5.7 per cent. The more open the texture of the cheese, the greater the loss of water by evaporation. An increase in the loss of weight follows an increase in the temperature of the curing room. In one test repoited, cheese cure dat 55deg. F. lost 8.1 per cent, in weight in six months, while cheese cured at 70deg. under conditions cheese cured at 55deg. F. lost 8.1 per cent. In another test, cheese cured at 32deg. lost 3 per cent, in weight in

five weeks, while cheese cured at odd eg. io-st 4.0 per cent. Two cheeses, 3 and Tin in height and uniform ill diameter, lost respectively IT and 12.4 per cent, of moisture in six months. _ Cheeses 'having diameters of 7. and loin and o]> proximal el v the same heights, lost respectively 13.1 and 10.1 per cent, of moisture in six months when cured at Oodeg. The results show an increase in the loss of weight corresponding to' a decrease in either height or diameter of tiie cliee.sc. Cheese cured in an atmosphere saturated with moisture gained nearly 2 per cent, in weight during fifteen months, while cheese cured in a icem containing 75 to SOdcg. of moisture lost ovc-r 11 per cent. Many other d lust rations of the above points are given. The results are discussed in 2rgard to their practical application to dairymen and consumers of choose. The author considers that cheese should contain not less than 33 per cent, of moisture at the time of eon sumption. In discussing the prevention of loss of moisture in curing cheese, the advantages of central curing rooms are pointed out, and the construction of special curing rooms in each cheese factory is considered.