258 Chapter 10
waxed cheese may then be wrapped in fi lm,
sealed, and shrunk by steam or hot air to give
a skintight seal.
Paraffi n wax, which displays excellent
permeability to CO 2 , is useful as a fi rst
coating on young cheese. Flexible waxes
may be used for a second coating of young
and long - hold cheese coated with paraffi n
wax. Blue cheese held for ripening may be
coated with low - temperature fl exible wax
(containing elastomers) at 66 ° C to 76 ° C
(151 ° F to 169 ° F).Film Packaging
Film packaging is the most common type of
packaging for retail cheese as well as for
cheese prepared for ripening. Three methods
are widely used: tight wrapping, vacuum gas
fl ushing, and vacuum packaging.
Tight wrapping involves either machine or
hand wrapping of plastic fi lms or foils around
cheese portions followed by heat sealing.
Tight - wrapped cheeses may be dipped in wax
either before or after fi lm packaging. The
package also may be dipped in sorbate pre-
servative solution. This technique is used
for different shapes, sizes, and textures of
cheeses. It is labor intensive and time con-
suming and lacks the shelf life obtained by
the fl ush and vacuum techniques.
The vacuum packaging method uses
special fi lms capable of shrinking after heat
application. Following evacuation of air from
the cheese package, the fi nal seal is accom-
plished by heat impulse treatment. Cheese
for ripening is vacuum packaged. Shrink
fi lms are suited for irregularly shaped and
soft cheeses. This technique also can include
preformed pouches.
The vacuum - gas fl ush technique is
common in retail cheese packaging.
Laminated fi lm pouches containing cheese
are evacuated and subsequently fl ushed with
CO 2 or nitrogen. Use of CO 2 results in partial
shrinking of the bag because the gas reacts
with water in the cheese to form carbonicLonghorn and some semi - soft cheeses are
identifi ed by their yellow wax coating. Other
colors available are white, cream, green,
blue, cherry red, and brown. Waxes also are
available with light transmission varying
from clear to opaque. Transparent coating
may allow light to be transmitted through the
coating, causing oxidation of fat and result-
ing off fl avors in retail cuts of cheese. It also
may have a bearing on the shelf life of cheese.
Dyes used for color effect are insoluble.
Accordingly, it is imperative to agitate or cir-
culate molten wax to keep the dye in suspen-
sion and ensure uniformity of color from
batch to batch. The pigment should not be
allowed to settle on the heating element or
heating surface to avoid overheating and loss
of wax. Temperature maintenance in the wax
tank is diffi cult unless the insulating effect of
the pigment is controlled by adequate mixing
of the dye and the wax.
Two coats of wax are necessary for
extended shelf life of cheese. The tempera-
ture and dipping time determine the thickness
of the wax coating. Pinholes or cracks left by
the fi rst coat are covered by the second dip.
It is customary to apply the fi rst coat to
cheese at a wax temperature of 110 ° C (230 ° F)
to 135 ° C (275 ° F) for 5 to 8 seconds.
Following draining and solidifi cation of the
wax, the second dip is at 71 ° C to 82 ° C (160 ° F
to 180 ° F) for 3 to 4 seconds. The temperature
and time of wax dipping should be standard-
ized for the size and type of cheese in relation
to its shelf life requirements. In general,
higher temperatures and shorter dipping
periods give a thinner coat.
Frequently, a conveyer belt of stainless
mesh is used. Cheese cuts or forms are con-
veyed through a trough containing molten
wax for the fi rst dip. The conveyer moves
through another trough containing chilled
water to congeal the wax coating. Next, the
conveyer moves through another trough
where the second coating of wax is applied.
Finally, the conveyer travels through another
chilled water trough to solidify the wax. The