This document provides information on the process of cheesemaking. It discusses the key ingredients used, which include milk, starter cultures, coagulants like rennet, and salt. The manufacturing process is outlined in five steps: milk treatment, acidification, coagulation, cutting and pressing the curd, and ripening. Different types of cheeses are classified based on their moisture levels, fat content, and whether they are cured or uncured. A variety of microorganisms play important roles in the ripening process and determining characteristics of different cheeses.

1. CHEESEMAKINGCHEESEMAKING
ADAMS SADIK

2. INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION
Cheese is the fresh or ripened product obtained
after coagulation and whey separation of milk,
cream or partly skimmed milk, buttermilk or a
mixture of these products.
It is not known when cheesemaking was first
discovered but the cheese of yesterday was just
curds and whey.

3. A curd is the solid custard-like state of milk
achieved when milk coagulate due to
acidification and addition of enzyme.
Curds
Whey
The whey is the liquid portion of milk which
develops after coagulation of the milk protein. It
contains water, milk sugar, albuminous proteins,
and minerals.

4. INGREDIENTS FOR CHEESEMAKINGINGREDIENTS FOR CHEESEMAKING
Milk:
The most important ingredient in cheese is milk.
The milk of many mammals can be used but the
milk of ruminants is the best.
This is because it contains high levels of the milk
protein, casein, which is required to provide an
adequate coagulum.

5. Starter:
There are two types which are the mesophilic and
the thermophilic cultures.
It is usually bacteria but fungi can play a role,
such as in blue cheese.
Three characteristics of starter cultures of
primary importance in cheese making are:
ability to produce lactic acid in the curd
ability to break down the protein
ability to produce CO2 when applicable.

6. Coagulant:
Rennet is the usual coagulating enzyme used.
Rennet is an enzyme which acts on protein and
causes it to coagulate.
It is mostly extracted from the fourth stomach
of young ruminants. The main enzyme
contained in rennet is rennin.

7. Salt:
Sodium chloride is added to most varieties of
cheese to give it flavour.
The quantity and method of addition depends
on the recipe.
It may be added directly to the milk or curd
pieces, rubbed into the finished cheese or
immersed in a brine solution.

8. Colour:
The recipe determines if colouring matter
should be used.
Chemicals:
CaCl2 is frequently added to aid coagulation and
reduce amount of rennet required.
Sodium or Potassium nitrate inhibits
pathogenic microbes such as the gas forming
Clostridium tyrobutyricum.

9. THE MANUFACTURING PROCETHE MANUFACTURING PROCESS
1.Milk Treatment
 Methods to reduce microbial numbers
 Clarification
 Bactofugation
 Microfiltration
 Heat treatment
 Thermisation (63-65o
C shortly)
Pasteurization (63o
C, 30mins or 72o
C, 16s)
 Heat treat (55-65o
C for 16 seconds)
 Standardization to improve the quality of
the milk used.

10. 2. Acidification
The bacteria feed on the lactose in milk and
produce lactic acid as a waste product.
The acid is required to:
 Assist coagulation
 Promote syneresis
 Prevent growth of pathogenic and spoilage
bacteria.
 Develop cheese texture, flavour and colour

11. LAB are grouped by four criteria, namely
 Principal metabolites (homo-fermentative
and hetero-fermentative)
 Optimum growth temperature
(mesophilic and thermophilic)
 Starter composition
 Forms of inoculation

12. Species
Major Known
Function
Product
Propionibacterium
shermanii
Flavour and Eye
formation
Swiss cheese family
Lactobacillus bugaricus
Lactobacillus lactis
Lactobacillus helveticus
Acid and
flavour
Yoghurt, Swiss, Emmental,
and Italian cheeses
Lactobacillus
acidophilus
Acid Acidophilus buttermilk
Streptococcus
thermophilus
Acid
Emmental, Cheddar, and
Italian cheeses, and yogurt
Streptococcus durans
Streptococcus faecalis
Acid and
flavour
Soft Italian, cheddar, and
some Swiss cheeses.
Leuconostoc citrovorum
Leuconostoc dextranicum
Flavour
Cultured buttermilk,,
cottage cheese, and starter
cultures.
Some microbes involved in cheesemaking

13. Secondary Microbes
Large holes: Propioni bacterium freudenreichii
subsp. Shermaniee
White moulds: Penicillium camembertii, P.
caseiocolum and P. candidum
Blue/green moulds: Penicillium roqueforti, P.
glaucum
Ripening adjuncts: Bacterial or yeast cultures
added in addition to the regular LAB cultures
Attenuated cultures which are not intended to
grow but only to contribute their enzymes.

14. 3. Coagulation
Casein exists as micelles in milk. During
coagulation, the casein micelles stick
together. The natural tendency of casein is to
clump together they are hydrophobic.
Two factors prevent their sticking together in
normal milk. These are:
 Kappa-casein on the surface of the micelle.
 A negative charge on the micelles which
make them repel each other.

15. 4. Cutting and Pressing the cheese
This step is usually accompanied with heating
the curd. Cutting the curd allows whey to
escape, while heating increases the rate at
which the curd contracts and squeezes out
the whey.
Not set for cutting Set for cutting

16. COOKING THE CURDS
The curds are cooked after allowing to sit for
about 15mins with stirring to prevent the curds
from clumping together. Larger curds are cut
as they appear but not squeezed.
The combination of heat and the developing
acidity causes syneresis with resulting
expulsion of moisture, lactose, acid, soluble
minerals and salts, and whey proteins.

17. The curd is cooked until it is 34o
C for soft curd
cheese or as high as 39o
C for very firm cheese.
The cooked curds are made to sit for a while so
that they sink in the remaining whey. Floating
curds after a while means there is the possibility
of having gas-producing contaminants in the
starter.
This makes separation of curds from whey
difficult.

18. SALTING:
Almost all cheese is salted by one of the three
methods: before pressing, surface salting after
pressing, or brine salting.
The purpose of salting is to:
 Promote further syneresis
 Slow acid development
 Check spoilage bacteria
 Promote controlled ripening and flavour
development (salty flavour)

19. PRESSING:
Pressing the curd in the moulds assists in some
whey removal and compacts the curd pieces into the
shape of the mould.
The temperature of the curd and the extent of
pressing are critical to the quality and the
appearance of the final cheese.
The cheese is then placed in a cheese cloth and may
be coated with a thin layer of butter for storage and
for maintenance of its shape.

20. 5.Ripening
Cheese ripening is the breakdown of proteins,
lipids and carbohydrates (acids and sugars)
which release flavour compounds and
modifies cheese texture. The principal
ripening agents:
 Milk enzymes:
 Plasmin
 Lipoprotein
 LAB cultures

21. Rind formation, the outer covering of cheese,
occurs during the ripening stage.
The basic function of rinds is to protect the
interior of the cheese and allow it to ripen
uniformly.
Salting plays an important role in rind
formation. Heavily salted cheeses develop a
thick, tough outer rind.

22. COLOURING
Goat and sheep milk are whiter than cow milk
due to the lack of carotene hence their cheese is
whiter.
Cow’s milk may be whitened by using legal
whitening agents such as Titanium dioxide
Goat and sheep milk can also be given colour by
the addition of annatto, a natural vegetable
extract which contains carotene.

23. Cheese
Type
Moisture %
fat-free
basis
Extra hard < 41
Hard 49 – 56
Semi-hard 54 – 63
Semi-soft 61 – 69
Soft > 67
Cheese
Type
Fat %
total solids
basis
Skim < 10
Low fat 10 – 25
Medium
fat
25 – 45
Full fat 45 – 60
High fat > 60
CLASSIFICATION OF CHEESECLASSIFICATION OF CHEESE

24. On the basis of curing, cheese can be classified
as:
 Cured or ripened cheese: cheese which is
to be kept for some time under certain
conditions before consumption is possible.
 Mould cured or mould ripened cheese:
the curing is achieved by mould growth
 Uncured, unripened, or fresh cheese:
this is cheese which is ready for consumption
shortly after manufacture.

25. Examples of cheese, the microbes involved and
the category they can be placed
CHEESE MICROORGANISMS
SOFT,
UNRIPENED
Cottage
Lactococcus lactis
Leuconostoc citrovorum
Cream Streptococcus cremoris
Neufchatel Streptococcus diacetilactis
SOFT, RIPENED
1 – 5 MONTHS
Brie
Lactococcus lactis
Penicillium candidium
Streptococcus cremoris
Penicillium camemberti
Brevibacterium linens
Camembert
Lactococcus lactis
Streptococcus cremoris
Penicillium candidium
Penicillium camembert
Limburger Lactococcus lactis
Brevibacterium linens
Streptococcus cremoris

26. CHEESE MICROORGANISMS CHEESE
SEMISOFT,
RIPENED
1 – 12 MONTHS
Blue
Lactococcus lactis
Penicillium roqueforti
Streptococcus cremoris
Penicillium glaucum
Brick
Lactococcus lactis
Brevibacterium linens
Streptococcus cremoris
Gorgonzola
Lactococcus lactis
Penicillium roqueforti
Streptococcus cremoris
Penicillium glaucum
Monterey
Lactococcus lactis
Streptococcus cremoris
Meunster
Lactococcus lactis
Brevibacterium linens
Streptococcus cremoris
Roquefort
Lactococcus lactis
Penicillium roqueforti
Streptococcus cremoris
Penicillium glaucum

27. CHEESE MICROORGANISMS
HARD,
RIPENED
3 – 12
MONTHS
Edam
Lactococcus lactis,
Streptococcus cremoris
Gruyere Lactococcus lactis
Lactobacillus helveticus
Streptococcus thermophilus
Propionibacterium sheranii or
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and
Propionibacterium
freudenreichii
Swiss Lactococcus lactis
Lactobacillus helveticus
Propionibacterium shermanii or
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and
Streptococcus thermophilus
VERY HARD,
RIPENED
12 – 16
MONTHS
Parmesan Lactococcus lactis
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Streptococcus cremoris
Streptococcus thermophilus

28. CONCLUSION
Cheese is a fermented milk product made from
the curds produced when water is removed
from milk and it coagulates. It can be made
from a variety of milk such as cow, goat, sheep
and buffalo milk.
Lactic acid bacteria and other microorganisms
are needed to cause the souring of the milk and
to give it the characteristic taste, texture and
flavour.

29. REFERENCES
O’Connor C. B. (1993). Traditional Cheesemaking Manual, International
Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/cheese.htm, University of
Guelph. A detailed description of the cheemaking processes. Visited
29/10/2008.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Cottage/1288/intro/Intr
o.htm, Geocities. Introduction to cheesemaking. Visited 27/10/2008.
http://www.leeners.com/cheesehow2.html, Leeners.
Cheesemaking instructions. Visited 27/10/2008.
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_5_gallon
s/CHEESE_5gal_00.htm, CLC University. A page illustrating
cheesemaking. Visited 27/10/2008.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-
cheese.htm, WiseGEEK, What are the different types of cheese? Visited
27/10/2008.

30. Say ……Say ……
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