CHEESE MANUFACTURE

Taranaki Daily News, 14 February 1931, Page 10

CHEESE MANUFACTURE

ARE THE METHODS GOOD? •"-i FACTORS THAT AFFECT QUALITY 'SOME NORTH TARANAKI VIEWS. Dairy factory managers are certainly alive to the necessity of effecting improvement in the quality of New Zealand cheese, which has deteriorated considerably during the past few years, partly owing to the race for yield. They realise that they are faced with difficult problems to overcome. These problems are being investigated by Professor Riddet at the Afassey College, Mr. P. O. Veale at the Hawera laboratory, and others, whilst the managers themselves are keen to co-operate. They are eagerly awaiting the results of these investigations. Criticism of their present methods is welcomed by the managers, provided it is constructive and not destructive, as the latter is only detrimental to the industry. This was made perfectly clear to a representative of the Daily News who visited some of the leading North Taranaki factories and heard opinions on the criticisms made by Mrs. Harrison recently on her visits to South Taranaki factories.

Managers ag'reed'that their Dominion secretary, Mr. J. Murray, had made a common-sense reply that filled the bill exactly. If Mrs. Harrison had got right down to practical work first before making criticisms it was thought possible that her views might have altered. It was made clear, too, that Airs. Harrison would 'be welcomed in any North Taranaki factory. Regarding Airs. Harrison’s remarks that she would have failed pupils for a diploma if their cheese was like what she saw made Air. Taylor, of Bell Block, remarked that most diplomas were gained at institutions which had control of the milk right from the feeding of the cows to the turning out of the finished product. Moreover, when Airs. Harrison was making cheese under Professor Drummond at Kilmarnock and under Professors Benson and Tisdall, she was probably only handling a small quantity of milk, but a man in a cheese factory here had to handle a vat containing 800 gallons of milk and manufacture 10 cheeses a day. (Mr. Taylor poiiited out that when a factory manager was turning out show cheese he selected the best milk and took extreme care, and he did not think they would find a deal wrong with such cheese. MILK FROM MANY SUPPLIERS. Under ordinary working conditions cheesemakers in Taranaki had to deal with milk from 50 or 60 different suppliers, from all classes of cattle, hawing different feed, and with the milk cared for in different, and sometimes in indifferent ways. If Mrs. Harrison was placed in a Taranaki factory and had to depend on the results of her day’s cheesemaking to secure her diploma she might find herself in a difficult position. Then again, when she secured her diploma there was no such thing as one factory having to compete against another for results.

Regarding Mrs. Harrison’s comment that she saw curd dripping whey being hooped and that whey was running in a steady stream from the vat that held the salted curd, Mr. Taylor said if it were correct that curd dripping whey was hooped at that factory it was not so in every case. It certainly was not so in his, factory. Salt was put in the curd to help flavour the cheese and also to take the surplus moisture away, and the curd should not be hooped until that surplus moisture had been allowed to run away. A certain amount of pressure, not full pressure, was put on to take out moisture. Regarding her criticism that the finishing touch was scalding water over the hoops, Air, Taylor said that practice had been followed ever since he had started cheesemaking apd. before. It was done for the •express purpose of getting a close rind on the cheese. / Mr. Taylor agreed that unless the starter was pure, no matter how good the milk might be, they, could not manufacture good quality cheese. Starter was one of the most important factors. He makes his own starter, and to produce it some of the. best milk that comes into the factory is selected and a small quantity, about tiro pints, is placed in a glass jar and sterilised in boiling water for about three hours. This is then put into a thermos flask and kept at a , steady temperature of 62deg. at thip time, of the year and set—that is to say, two drops of the previous day’s culture is added and sets. 24 ounces. This is known as the mother culture, and three 'ounces' of it is placed in three-quarters of. a can of milk, about 18 gallons, at a temperature of 74deg. ■This is the starter that is used in the vats the. following morning in the proportion of about per cent.

CLEANLINESS -OF THE WORKERS.

Regarding the, Way the factory workers turned out, Airs. Harrison having complained : of their unshaven appearance, Mr. Taylor said that there might be room for improvement in some cases, but it was hot so in all cases. Alen generally took a very keen interest in their work and turned out neat, and certainly clean. . Even the .most casual observer could not fail to notice that at Bell Block, -where the exterior of the factory with its well-kept approaches and pretty, little garden with- roses running up the wall creates a very pleasing first impression and fully prepares one for the spick, and- span interior, with every ■ appliance, used in the manufacture of the cheese spotless, and the staff alert and certainly dean and tidy, though, of course, from the nature oi •their occupation not overburdened with dothing. There is no doubt that, ap'pearance counts for a lot, especially with the-manufacture and sale o-f foodstuffs. Air. Taylor; admitted that in •that respect the .surroundings of a number of factories .could be improved. A •good deal depended on the taste of the 'manager and the interest that he took (in his work and pis staff. But, so far •as the quality of the cheese was concerned, some of the old pioneers who •never shaved at all, but let their whiskers grow, turned but a first-class ar•tide.

Though owing to the fact that the (award did not permit of the men working beyond certain hours without receiving overtime, which directors who •were naturally anxious to keep down •costs of production did not care to pay, •there might, have been a rush to get •the cheese through in some cases, his •experience was that the men took such (an interest in their work that they •never demurred at a few minutes extra. •All were anxious to turn out a high (quality article. Regarding th© curd mill he was of •opinion that providing the quality, of •the curd was right to start with it •did not make any difference what curd mill was used. With the first mill he ‘had used the curd was fed at the side like a chaff-cutter. HIGHER PRODUCTION AND TESTS. Gheesemakers, too, had a lot of •troubles, to contend with, which had

been gradually brought about. The aim •to increase production, whi<;li. had resulted in high testing milk,! had been one of the troubles; whilst he thought that though top-dressing had given increased growth of the pastures and increased milk production the fats and the solids in the milk were not in such good condition for cheesemaking as was the case from the old pastures. The advantages or otherwise of pasteurising was an open question.' Pasteurising had been introduced to overcome food flavours in cream and had proved successful in turning out an even flavoured butter, and had therefore been introduced to overcome the •flavours in milk for cheese production. •Pasteurisation was only introduced to •overcome some evil that was already in the raw material, the results sometimes of feeding on swedes or clover, etc. It was a matter that was in the hands of the suppliers, and he thought • that in his district, and possibly in most, the farmer, realising the necessity for quality, was aiming to send the test raw material to the factory. While there was a difference of -pinion as to the best way of utilising the small quantity of curd left over from the previous day, he never put it in the hoops with the next day’s make, ■biit adopted the. practice oft placing it in the vats and cooking it with the curd.

If Mrs. Harrison visited other factories she might possibly change her opinions as to the quality and methods of manufacture. Though this season, had been a difficult one at times, he had received no complaints, about his produce. He would welcome Airs. Harrison at his factory, as managers always welcomed criticism providing it ( was constructive. EXPERT KNOWLEDGE NEEDED “Dairy factory managers need to be scientists as well as practical . cheesemakers,” remarked Air. A. Drake, manager of the Lepperton Dairy Factory. “The factory manager’s job is now practically an expert’s job, he having troubles to contend with in the way of feed flavours, diseases, climatic conditions, etc., that never had to be contended with years ago, and far from resenting criticism he wants someone to tell him how to prevent openness.” That fault was not peculiar to New Zealand, said Air. Drake. Australia, Canada, America and all other cheesemakihg countries had to contend with it. •They looked to the Agricultural Department through its experts and scientific institutions to overcome the difficulty, whilst the managers themselves were out to assist by experiment. The competition for yield must be entirely ■forgotten. “In .Canada managers don’t ■know- what'the yield is, and yield is not sought for. Of course, their milk is low testing.” Cheesemaker? recognised that there were serious difficulties to be overcome in order to manufacture the best quality cheese; in fact, managers were right up against it in dealing with troubles caused by food flavours due to topdressing pastures, also to diseases such •as mammitis, that were never heard of ■years ago. Climatic conditions, too, had a lot to do with the making of cheese. They, were anxiously awaiting the results of the /investigations; and. experiments'that' were being carried out in connection with the openness of cheese and other questions.

CO-OPERATION OF THE FARMERS.

Mr. Drake said he recognised the •value of good starter and made his own,, but even good starter would not niake good cheese from milk that was nori-acid. In Order to ensure the best article a start should be made on the farms, and here the farm dairy instructor was invaluable. . Factory managers now had full pbwer to reject milk if they did hot consider it good enough for 'cheesemaking, but in some districts, owing, to competition, if it was not accepted at one factory it might be at another, and a supplier would be lost. Regarding the charge of hurrying the manufacture too much he held that staffs as a rule worked in the interest of. their company,', always showing a keenness for their work. Daylight saving had been a help in getting the milk to the factory earlier, but on the other hand in some ca,ses it had a deleterious effect in that suppliers milked half an hour earlier in the evening: and did not take the necessary precautions to ■shelter milk from the hot sun. Farmers •too could help by going to the factory earlier in the mornings. The early supply came in very straggly, whereas if ■all the supply was received by 8.30 instead of 9 that would give an extra half hour in the afternoon, if necessary. (He agreed that it was not a good practice to give suppliers hot water to. take •home for washing cans. ■ Airs. Harrison was quite right in taking exception to the curd being put in the hoops too wet. Curd should be left in the vat quite half an hour after •salting to allow all the free moisture to drain away. Some cheesemakers held that full pressure should be put on right 'away, but he only applied sufficient pressure when hooping to enable the excess moisture to be carried away, full pressure being put on later in the evenW .. . Scalding was, a common practice in order to give a firm rind, and if the •curd was not scalded properly cracked •rinds would result. He had never used any curd rnill but, the one now in use •and found it satisfactory. In North Taranaki to-day the majority of the cheese factories were built on •modern lines and were easy to keep ■clean, enabling the produce to be manufactured under the best conditions, •which was difficult in cases where additions had been hurriedly made to an 'old factory to accommodate extra vats.