Changes in Composition of Cheddar Curd during Manufacture as a Guide to Cheese Making by Direct Acidification

Studies were made to determine whether the properties and composition of Cheddar cheese could be reproduced by batch methods, using simplified procedures meeting requirements for mechanization. They indicated that curd milled at pH 5.3 to 5.4 should contain 41 to 43% moisture and 4.0 to 6.0 g lactose per 100 g buffering constituents (total solids minus fat and lactose). Nine lots of cheese made without starter from pasteurized whole milk acidified at 40 F with lactic acid to pH 5.40 .05 and renneted at 86 F ranged from 41.48 to 45.21% moisture. Attempts to follow a stirred-curd procedure after draining were complicated by matting of the curd. Bitterness always developed during storage.