A French term

for

farm produced.

Traditionally

a 22 pound of cheddar

coated with wax and cheesecloth.

“Slitty” means that cheese contains narrow, elongated slits

which are generally associated with a cheese that is“gassy” or

“yeasty”. Slits in cheese having this characteristic may sometimes

be referred to as “fish eyes”.

Morge is a concoction made of whey, brine or wine and some cheese scraps. It is known to contain at least 480 types of bacteria.

Used to wash cheeses like Beaufort.

Literally "Putting in place"

In practice - setting up ingredients to be used in food preparation.

Any cheese made from milk that is not pasteurized.

Cheese made from milk that prior to setting, has not been heated above the temperature of the milk at milking time or the body temperature of the animal at the time of milking.

The initial step in souring milk.

During acidification, lactose is converted into lactic acid.

The acidity level.

The lower the pH; the higher the acid level.

pH is measured from 0 to 14 with 7 being totally neutral.

Adding salt to the curd which helps draw off more moisture and arrests the growth of bacteria and retards acidity development.

Salting is done as follows:

1. Sprinkling salt directly onto the curd in the vat.

2. Placing the freshly formed cheese into a salt brine bath.

3. By rubbing salt into the skin of the newly made cheese.

Salting signifies the end of draining whey and the beginning of affinage.

The milk produced in the

first week

after the birth of a

calf, kid or lamb.

Considered not good for cheesemaking as it has the

wrong levels of fat, minerals, etc. needed in cheesemaking.

(But the right levels for the baby.)

Enzyme that attaches itself to the

fat globes and breaks them down

causing the fatty acids to be released.

The breakdown of

proteins into amino acids.

(Such as tyrosine, tryptophan, lycine, valine and taurine)

The bacteria in

Swiss-style cheeses that

creates holes by consuming the lactic acid and expelling CO2, which makes the holes.

It is also the bacteria that adds that rich, nutty flavor

to these cheeses.

Bacteria that can

survive in cold

environments.

Usually present post-pasteurized due to 

inadequate 

sanitation practices.

A group of enzymes

that causes the

coagulation of milk.

The active enzyme in rennet.

It is produced by newborn ruminant animals in the lining of the fourth stomach to curdle the milk they ingest, allowing a longer residence in the bowels and better absorption.

Heating milk to 135-145f and holding there for 15 to 30 seconds.

Kills 95% of the bad stuff without killing some of the good microflora.

Milk that is heated in this manner is still considered raw per the FDA definition of pasteurization.

Homogenization or homogenisation is any of several processes used to make a chemical mixture the same throughout.

The fat in milk normally separates from the water and collects at the top. Homogenization breaks the fat into smaller sizes so it no longer separates, allowing the sale of non-separating milk at any fat specification.

Carmamelization

a form of nonenzymatic browning. It results from a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring heat.

Bacteria that can thrive in warmer tmperatures

A thermophile is an organism — a type of extremophile — that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between 45 and 122 °C (113 and 252 °F).^[1][2] Many thermophiles are archaea. Thermophilic eubacteria are suggested to have been among the earliest bacteria.^[3]

Unlike other types of bacteria, thermophiles can survive at much hotter temperatures, where as other bacteria would be damaged and sometimes killed if exposed to the same temperatures.

Irregular, asymmetrical dark and light spots in the paste.

Potential Causes:

Can be caused by combining curds of different color, batches or moisture content.

Uneven acid development.

Unwanted microbial growth.

Appearance of an outline around individual curd particles.

Potential Cause:

Too high temp,

over-stirring,

lack of salt dissolution.

Bleached, faded or dull looking

Potential Causes:

Excessive acid development

Uneven moisture distribution

Light to dark pink color develops on the surface.

Potential causes:

Oxidation of annatto (from flourescent lighting)

Lighter portions of paste appearing in waves.

Potential causes:

Inadequate dilution of coagulant, agitation, vibration during setting of milk.

Stiff, incohesive; overly dry for age of cheese

Potential causes:

Too rapid acid development

Too much calcium lost in whey

Grainy mouth feel

Potential causes:

Formation of calcium lactate and/or tyrosine

Lack of elasticity

Potential causes:

too rapid and/or excessive acid develpoment

Excessive calcium loss

feels wet to the touch; overly tacky or sticky

Potential causes:

Low or no salt on the curd.

Atypical acid development.

Crumbly

Potential causes:

too much rennt

Curds cut to small and/or stirred too long

pH too low

humidity too low

What is the definition of a raw milk cheese, according to the raw milk cheesemaker’s association?

A.     Cheese produced from milk that, prior to setting curd, has not been heated above temperature of milk (104F) at time of milking and that the cheese produced from that milk shall be aged for 60 days or longer at a temperature not less than 35F in accordance with US FDA regulations

The curd or substance formed by the coagulation of milk by formation of lactic acid (plus rennin, and/or other enzymes) in which partof the moisture has been removed by cutting, heating and/or pressing. The mass is then salted or brined and shaped into a form and ripened over time under the appropriate conditions of temperature and humidity.

OR

A food consisting of the coagulated, typically compressed and usually ripened curd of milk separatd from the whey.

The addition of water.

Hydrolysis (/haɪˈdrɒlɨsɪs/; from Greek hydro-, meaning "water", and lysis, meaning "separation") usually means the cleavage of chemical bonds by the addition of water. Generally, hydrolysis or saccharification is a step in the degradation of a substance.

A by product of fermentation which creates a buttery flavor.

Common bacteria found in animal feces.

Transmitted by feces on animal teats

Using bacteria in milk to coagulate the milk without the use of rennet. 

These cheeses have a softer curd because of the higher acidity causes calcium to drain from the why.

Measured by pH.

The lower the pH; the higher the acidity in the cheese.

breviabacterium linens.

Bacteria on the surface of washed rinds that create the exceptional stink.

B. lenins require low-acid environment, moisture and oxygen to flourish.

solution to wash cheese.

Generally salt and water, but sometimes additional items might be added.

Advances flavor and impedes mold growth.

the application of liquid with a brush to surface of cheese rind to moisten and develop flavors.

Mimolette is brushed to remove mites.

Rennin or enzyme found in rennet. It is produced by newborn ruminant animals in the lining of their 4th stomach.

It is the enzyme that causes milk to curdle.

It allows better absorption.

It is now genetically produced to make cheese vegetarian-suitable.

A substance microscopically dispersed throughout another substance.

Milk is a colloid of liquid butterfat globules dispersed in water.

That line of creaminess between the rind and the paste of bloomies, washed and semi-soft cheeses.

The creamline is a result of protein breakdown in combination with the change of pH as the curd ripens, which causes calcium to migrate from the paste to the rind, softening the curd.

dehydration of cheese surface to help form the rind.

Especially important in mold-ripened cheeses where inadequte drying can lead to excessive mold growth and a quicker beakdown of the the curd than desired.

Proteins or protein-like compounds that at as catalyst in breakdown of substances.

In cheese, they break down protein and fats:

Proteolytic - break down protein

lipolytic - break down fats

a natural crack or fissure that ventilates cheese aging caves.

Roquefort cheese caves have ventilating faults.

From the Italian word for grain, a class of hard, aged cheese with a granular texture and used for grating.  Most common examples include Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano.

A type of coagulation where the acid is added to milk that has been raised to a high temperature.  This process results in a higher yield and lower acidity in the end product because the whey proteins are denatured, allowing coagulation, and so can be recovered in the cheese.  The recovred whey proteins have a high capacity to bind water, allowing a high-moisture, firm cheese.

The process of emulsifying the fat in milk to create a uniform texture and prevent separation of the cream. Milk is forced through a very fine membrane, pulverizing the fat into tiny bits that remain suspended. This is why the cream no longer “rises to the top” of your milk.

    The product of lactic bacteria breaking down lactose, making it easier for humans to digest. When the bacteria release the acid into milk, the acid aids coagulation.

           A sugar found in milk.  Digestion of lactose requires the enzyme lactase, which most humans lack.  Lactose is water soluble and serves as an excellent source of food for lactic acid bacteria, which turn the lactose into lactic acid.

         Transferring the cut curd directly into molds by the use of a ladle or pan.  Some mold-ripened cheeses, like Stilton and Camembert, are hand-ladled in this way.

            Digestive enzyme that helos break down fats.

A result of a chemical reaction between an amino acid and sugar.  In heated foods, results in browning and flavor development.  Also causes flavor development in ripening cheeses, including meaty, brothy, malty, toasted, nutty or gravy flavors.

Caramelization

     Microorganisms that affect cheese ripening, including bacteria and yeast.  A factor in rind development, they are similar to the use of yeast in alcoholic fermentation.

         The mechanical process through which larger masses of curd are reduced to smaller pieces of curd, done to increase surface area and aid whey expulsion.

             A growth of minute fungi on vegetable or animal matter, commonly as a fuzzy covering.  Mold can be inoculated into the cheese to promote bacteria growth.  Ambient mold can also grow on the cheese naturally, either in the ripening room or any other non-sterile environment.

          A fuzzy white mold that can grow on the surface of  bloomy rind cheeses, and causes a bitter flavor.

       The vegetative part of a fungus grown on the bloomy rind of some cheeses, such as Camembert.

 Properties of food experienced by the senses, particularly in relation to freshness.

    During cheesemaking, curds are cut to a large size, resulting in more space between them as the cheese ages.  This results in a crumbly texture.  Jasper Hill Farms’ Bayley Hazen Blue is an example.

     Defects in cheese including bleaching of the paste in cheese stored under light, especially when packaged in transparent plastic, or drying of the paste when exposed to air.

                The acidity level.  Acidification begins when the pH level of milk is approximately 5.2.  Complete coagulation of milk occurs at approximately 4.6. 

       A microorganism that causes disease. 

A variant of the mold P. camemberti, which is a typical, white bloomy mold that becomes grayish after several days. The P. candidum variant remains white and is the trademark of a bloomy rind cheese. This surface mold , given the proper salt and moisture, will develop a rind that breaks down amino acid chains from the outside in, creating an increasingly soft, buttery texture with time.

The lesser known strain of blue mold used in some, typically milder, blue cheeses, such as Gorgonzola. See Penicillium roquefortii.

The blue-green mold typical of blue cheeses, responsible for the breakdown of fats and the resulting piquant flavors. In addition, this mold de-acidifies the cheese curds, which softens the texture over time.

Any cheese that is pressed after coagulation, cutting, and cooking (if applicable), draining of whey, and shaping of curds. Semisoft, firm, and hard cheeses are all pressed to achieve a smooth, uniform paste, while most bloomy and blue cheeses are not pressed at all, hence their lighter, moister texture.

A bacteria found in milk and dairy products that breaks down lipids into free fatty acids and ferments lactate, resulting in the carbon dioxide that creates the eyes and sweet, nutty flavors in Swiss-style cheeses.

    The anaerobic fermentation of milk proteins (caseins) to peptides and free amino acids.  Proteolysis also creates other acids, alcohols, ammonia and sulfur compounds (amines), and eventually esters. This process also releases the water from the casein structure explaining the ‘wetter’ appearance of well-ripened cheese, especially just below the surface of bloomy and smear-ripened cheese. 

      Any enzyme that conducts PROTEOLYSIS.  In cheesemaking, enzymes in rennet that cause coagulation.

                    Requiring or using some oxygen (air).

  Bacteria that can grow at low temperatures and cause spoilage of milk and cheese.  

Capable of growing or surviving in low temperatures (≤ 35°C and ≥ 3°C).

           A collection of enzymes used to coagulate milk. Technically rennet refers to an enzyme derived from the fourth stomach lining of an unweaned calf, sheep, or goat.  It contains the enzymes rennin (chymosin) and pepsin.  There are also “vegetarian” rennets of microbial origin (derived from mold or yeast), and vegetable rennet derived from the cardoon thistle plant.

          From the Latin word meaning to chew again.  A mammal that digests plant matter by softening it in the first compartment of the stomach, then regurgitating the food and rechewing it to further break it down.  Includes cattle, goats, sheep, giraffes, yaks, deer, camels, llamas, and antelopes.

    Enterobacteria found in raw or undercooked food and closely related to Escherichia genus, it causes infections characterized by diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramping. 

             Adding salt to the curd. 

Salting helps to draw off moisture and arrest the growth of bacteria and thus retard acidity development. 

Salting is usually done in one of three ways: 1) By sprinkling salt directly onto the curd in the vat. 

2) By placing the freshly formed cheese into a salted water (brine) bath. 

 3) By rubbing salt into the skin of a newly made cheese. 

Salting can function as a preservative. 

 It also signals the end of the draining whey from curds and the beginning of affinage.

        A cleaning product that reduces disease-causing organisms to safe levels by reversing the microbe cell wall charge from negative to positive, resulting in death of the microbe.

     A heat treatment of curd. 

The primary function of the scald is to shrink the curd and expel moisture. 

               A mixture of plants and grasses fermented in a silo.  The fermentation process is chemically equivalent to the pickling of sauerkraut.  It can cause tainted or off flavors in milk and cheeses.  This stresses the importance of knowing what the milk-producing animal has been fed.  (See: Hay)

       The rind detaches from the cheese, usually a bloomy rind, due to high humidity during ripening or storage conditions. 

           Refers to the fats and protein (casein) content in milk.

A bacterium found in the human respiratory tract and on the skin, it is a causal agent of MASTITIS in dairy cows.  It can be transferred to food during handling.

           A preparation of bacteria that, when added to milk, consumes lactose and produces lactic acid. The resulting acidification is one of the preserving techniques used in cheese making.

      Expulsion of whey from cheese curd.

A process of pasteurization that occurs at a lower temperature over a longer period of time than typical pasteurizing.  Milk is heated to 135-145˚ F for 15-20 seconds.  Thermalization is gentler for the milk, and can leave some bacteria and enzymes unharmed.  Also known as thermization. 

               A French term indicating a round of cheese, most often made from a single herd, from cow’s milk, and with a natural rind. Tommes are often identified by their region of origin as in Tomme de Savoie. Small tommes are known as tommettes.

              Generally, a gradual and seasonal migration of people.  In cheese, it refers traditional migration of animals to mountainous pastures, as cows in the Alps or sheep in the Pyrenees, where they graze on open fields of grass, and cheese is produced after each milking.

An amino acid found in cheese in the milk protein casein. Named for the Greek root for cheese, tyri, the crystals form in aged cheeses as the casein degrades, leaving behind crunchy clusters that look like salt.

A method of heating milk to retain natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria inherent in milk.  Milk is heated to 145˚ F for 30 minutes and then quickly cooled.  More expensive than other pasteurization processes, but intended to preserve flavor and health properties.

           A bacteria that can cause foodborne infection.

Replacing a measure (often a third) of whey from the vat with water. 

Washing helps to control acidity growth by reducing the amount of lactose and bacteria. 

Cheeses like gouda are often washed curd cheeses.

                  The liquid held within the curd. Whey contains water, lactose, and a variety of proteins that are not captured in the initial coagulation. Whey cheeses, like ricotta, form a curd primarily under the influence of heat. Whey is also used as feed.

                 Single-celled microorganism fungi that can ferment carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide. 

Some species are opportunistic pathogens that can cause infection in a compromised immune system.

Primarily the number of while cells per ml of milk.

The higher the count, the more likely the animal is to developing mastitis.

Legal count must be below 750,000 per ml (?)

50% of healthy cows in US are under 100K

80% are below 200K

Above 300K is cause for concern (?)