DAIRY RESEARCH WORK

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 142, 18 June 1932, Page 8 (Supplement)

DAIRY RESEARCH WORK

MATURITY OF CHEESE. OPERATIONS AT MASSEY COLLEGE. Several aspects of research work carried on recently at Massey Agricultural College were dealt with by Professor W.* Riddet at the general conference of the New Zealand Dairy Factory Managers’ Association at Hamilton recently. The address was largely of a technical nature. Professor Riddet prefaced his remarks by stating that it .vas impossible to review exhaustively all the research work of the last year or two. Regarding the investigations into the maturity of cheese early last February, a test was carried out with 360 vats of cheese. Recently there had been complaints of the state of ripeness of New Zealand cheese during spring months when it arrived in England. It was claimed that the cheese was to some extent flavourless, and that it tended to crack and to develop a rather horny appearance. It had been found that certain starters could develop ripeness or a certain flavour in cheese. Risks could be taken in a country manufacturing cheese for local consumption which could not be taken by a country manufacturing solely for export. In New Zealand manufacturers could afford to take no risks in making the product. It was necessary to take every precaution so that cheese could be exported which would mature safely. No matter how high the ideals, they could never hope to export cheese of nothing but the finest quality. There were too many factors affecting the manufacture to ensure that.

Continuing, Professor Riddet said four types of cheese were made in the experiment—a good, firm-body cheese, suitable for export, a soft, mellowbodied cheese, a specially firm cheese firmer than the average, and a slightly mellower cheese than the ideal quality. Each cheese was graded and cut in half and exposed to normal atmospherical conditions. After describing the results of investigations by figures and diagrams, the speaker summarised the position by emphasising that the. essentials in cheese-making were good milk, good starter, good manufacture and careful curing and conditioning. Butter experiments had largely concerned developing more flavour, but the butter work had not been pursued to the same extent as cheese work. However, a good deal of new knowledge had been gained regarding butter manufacture, concluded the speaker.