PEPSIN V. RENNET.

Western Star, 2 November 1917, Page 3

PEPSIN V. RENNET.

ENGLISH EXPERIMENTS. The report of the judges on the Pepsin v. Rennet experiments carried out by R. J. Drummond; at the Daily School, Kilmarnock, has just been issued, and contains the following remarks : Having made two separate inspections of the two lots of cheese—the one lot made with pepsin and the other with rennet—the first examina•ion on 15th March, and the second »n 11th April, we have come unanimously to the following conclusions: At the first inspection, the cheese was too cold and immature to arrive at a definite finding as to their respective merits; but, after Careful examination, we found the pepsin-made cheese came out on the total 4 points higher than the rennet-made ones. On the second inspection, a month inter, we found them more mature, although they bad. been kept much too cold. On going into the merits of each individual, cheese, and awarding marks from a scale of points, we found that pepsin-made cheese again •scored 2 points higher over all the lots. What struck us forcibly in this inspection was that Lot D; reauetmade, came out with a total of 99 points, while Lot D, pepsin-made', only scored 91 points, showing the largest margin of difference between; the two lots of cheese covering the inspection. We considered the rennet-made cheese' D was as near as possible perfect, considering it was made at this early season of the year; none of the pepsin lots were so fine as this cheese, and it was all the more remarkable knowing that those two cheese, D pepsin and D rennet, were (the same as all the others) made from exactly the same conditioned milk in every respect at time of renneting. We are further of opinion that the rather higher average scoring of the pepsin-made cheese was due to their greater neatness at both times of inspection, and, therefore, from a> commercial point of view, more saleable on those dates; but we also have in view the fact that this moistness or meatiness would, under a more favorable ripening temperature, perhaps act to the disadvantage of the pepsinmade cheese in causing premature ripening.

Generally speaking, the rennet-made cheese showed more body when ironed, hut they were not so forward in ripeness as the pepsin-made ones. To have been absolutely reliable as a test between the merits, of the use of pepsin as compared with rennet in commercial cheese making, it would have been better had the cheese been kept at a wanner temperature. With , this reservation, however, we have no hesitation in saying that it has been fully demonstrated, in the event of rennet being unobtainable, a fairly suitable substitute is to be found in the use of pepsin; and, notwithstanding the fact of the apparent superiority by a. few marks of the pepsin-made over the rennet, we must keep in view the outstanding, excellence of rennet-made cheese D, and advise the continued use of rennet in cheese-making so long as it can be obtained at ai fairly reasonable cost.

(Signed) Win. McFadzean Hugh Osborne. Andrew Clement. Andrew Mitchell.