272 Chapter 11
part of the whey it is not allowed to mat. It
is then heated and stirred in the remaining
whey. After draining, the curd is salted,
hooped, and pressed. It is generally used in
the manufacture of process cheeses.Washed Curd Cheese
Washed curd or soaked curd cheese contains
a minimum of 50% fat in dry matter and
maximum moisture of 42%. The ingredients
for manufacture are identical to those for
cheddar and colby cheeses. For long - hold
washed curd cheese, the moisture should not
exceed 39%. The process is identical to that
of cheddar, except that the TA is only 0.37%
to 0.40% at the whey drainage stage.
Following whey removal, the curd is cut and
soaked in cold water. The addition of water
and stirring cools the curd, and water dis-
places some proportion of the whey from the
curd. The required moisture content of 41%
is facilitated by cooling of the curd to 30 ° C
to 31 ° C (86 ° F to 88 ° F). The curd is then
drained, salted, stirred, and pressed in hoops.
In the manufacture of “ washed curd cheese
for manufacturing ” there is no requirement
for use of pasteurized milk. This product
is used for manufacturing process cheese
products.Quality Issues Related to Cheddar Cheese
Appearance, Body and Texture Issues: In
addition to fl avor, color, appearance, body,
and texture play a critical role in the overall
quality and grade of cheese. Table 11.2 illus-
trates issues related to the color and appear-
ance of cheddar cheese.
For judging true fl avor, body, and textural
characteristics of cheese, it is necessary to
temper the sample of cheese to 10 ° C to
15.6 ° C (50 ° F to 60 ° F). A cheese trier, a
curved, double - edged knife, is useful for
sampling large blocks of cheese. The trier is
inserted into the cheese, rotated one - half
turn, and pulled out to retrieve a long piece
of cheese sample called the plug. The plug is
then examined for aroma, body, and texture.matter and no more than 44% moisture by
weight. It is a mild fl avored cheese made by
a process similar to that of colby cheese. A
variant called Jack cheese contains higher
moisture (at least 44% and no more than 50%
moisture by weight).
Figure 11.1 also illustrates the manufac-
turing procedure for Monterrey Jack cheese.
Milk is pasteurized and inoculated with 1%
starter consisting of Lactococcus lactis subsp.
lactis/cremoris. Rennet may be added right
after the culture is added unless it is intended
to develop high acidity at draining. The set
curd is cut with 0.95 - cm (3/8 - inch) or 0.62 -
cm (1/4 - inch) knives, depending upon the
desired moisture in the cheese. The curd is
stirred and cooked to 37 ° C to 40 ° C (98 ° F to
104 ° F) in a period of 30 minutes. The rate of
heating is similar to that used for cheddar
cheese manufacture.
After cooking, the curd and whey are
stirred for additional 60 to 90 minutes until
the curd is fi rm. The TA should increase by
0.02% over the acidity at the cutting stage.
The whey is drained to the level of 1 inch
above the curd surface. Cold water is added
to bring the temperature of the curd - and -
whey - water mixture to 30 ° C (86 ° F). The
temperature should be lower for higher mois-
ture cheese, and vice versa. The mixture is
stirred for another 5 minutes and the whey is
totally drained. Occasional stirring is neces-
sary during draining to avoid matting. After
30 minutes, the curd is salted with 2.5 to
2.7 lbs of dry salt/100 lbs curd. Stirring is
continued until the hoops are fi lled. The
hoops are lined with fabric and pressed to
form 20 - to 40 - lb blocks. The blocks are
vacuum - packaged in plastic fi lms and
ripened for three to six weeks.
Granular and Stirred Curd Cheese
Granular and stirred curd cheese has a
minimum fat content of 50% in dry matter
and maximum of 39% moisture. The curd is
produced in identical manner as that of
cheddar cheese, except that after removal of