The influence of diet and breed of cow on the efficiency of conversion of milk constituents to curd in cheese manufacture

The influence of diet on the efficiency of conversion of milk solids to cheese in two breeds of cow, viz. Jersey and Friesian, was examined. An increase in the efficiency of conversion of milk solids to cheese in Jersey milks produced from cows on winter diets as compared with a typical summer diet was shown to be associated with an improvement in the level of fat retention in curd. The difference in fat retention could to some extent be related to the overall fat content of the milk, the casein to fat ratio and the distribution in the size of the fat globules but these factors when considered collectively or independently could not adequately explain the differences in fat retention observed in these experiments. The level of fat retention in curd was not influenced by the thermal properties of the mik fat.