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Home , Cheese, Cheese ripening

ROTRONIC HUMIDITY FUN FACTS Ripening & Aging

Cheese manufacturing in general Since humans began to domesticate -producing ani - mals around10,000 BCE, they have known about the propensity of milk to separate into and . It is the curds that are used to produce cheese.

Cheese Manufacturing Process There are three production steps common to the manufactur - of in order to produce this ing process in most types of lactic . Cheese manufacturing cheese; preparing the cheese milk, If non-pasteurized cheese milk block chart separating from whey and is used, the cheese must be ripened for at least 60 days at a aging or ripening. tHerMIZatION temperature of not less than 4°C to COOlING stOraGe Preparing the cheese milk: ensure against growth of patho -

Either pasteurized or non pas - genic organisms. OPtIONs BaCtOFuGatION Or MICrOFIltratION, teurized cheese milk is used. Non IN OrDer tO OMIt Separating the curds from the whey: saltPeter Or pasteurized cheese milk contains seParatION sIMIlar aDDItIves surPlus the necessary bacteria to produce Animal or vegetable is staNDarDIZatION , one of the agents that added to the cheese milk. The activity of the rennet causes CurD starter Culture triggers . Pasteurized MaNuFaCture CaCI 2 reNNet cheese milk must contain a culture the milk to coagulate as seen by the appearance of curd. The liquid Pre-PressING remaining after the milk has been curdled and strained is the whey. MOlDING CHeDDarING Facts & Figures The curd is finally put into • According to the Milk Market - and placed on draining ing Board, per capita cheese consumption boards. Once in the molds, the FINal PressING MIllING in the US is 33 pounds. per capita consumption is 20.4 pounds and curd is ready for pressing. saltING HOOPING per capita consumption is a whopping Aging the cheese: 52.7 pounds. The cheese is stored in a place • In 1955, 13% of milk was made into FINal PressING cheese, by 1984, this percentage had of proper temperature and humid - grown to 31% and continues to increase… ity for aging also known as ripen - • As much as 90% of milk produced in Wis - ing. Some are aged for a rIPeNING consin is made into cheese. month and some are aged for sev - • France is home to about 400 commercially eral years. DIstrIButION available cheeses. continued

1 ROTRONIC HUMIDITY FUN FACTS

Why is it important to measure and control relative humidity? The Influence of temperature on Storage bacterial devel - For centuries, caves(which are opment in raw usually cool and have a constant milk. Source: humidity) have provided an excel - processing lent environment to age and store Handbook. cheese. Caves are still used today. cheese, for example, is a cheese aged in the natural Com - balou caves in France. In most cases, cheese storage areas are relative humidity must be main - Semi hard cheeses like Tilsiter man-made structures with a tightly tained in the different storage or spend 2 weeks in a fer - controlled environment. rooms during the various stages menting room at 14 to 16°C with a The treatment during curd of ripening. relative humidity of about 90%. making and pressing determines The environmental conditions During the fermenting process, the the characteristics of the cheese. are critically important to the rate cheese is covered with a special The actual of the cheese is of ripening, loss of weight, rind cultured mix of a solution. determined during the ripening of formation and development of the After 2 weeks, the cheese is trans - the cheese in the storage area. surface flora. These characteristics ferred to the ripening room for The ripening of the cheese is are what one would consider as another 3 weeks at 10 to 12°C and characterized first and foremost by the very essence that distinguishes 90% RH. The final stage is storage the decomposition of . The one cheese from another! in a cold room at 6 to 10°C at 70 to degree of protein decomposition 75% RH. significantly affects the quality The optimum conditions Other hard and semi hard cheeses like Gouda are stored at (consistency and ) of the cheese. Here are a few examples of storage 10 to 12°C for a few weeks at 75% The purpose of storage is to conditions for a few cheeses: create the external conditions RH, followed by a few weeks at 12 Cheeses of the cheddar family to 18°C and 80% RH. The last stage which are necessary to control require low temperatures between the ripening cycle of the cheese. or ripening occurs in a storage 4 and 8°C and relative humidity room at 10 to 12°C at 75%rh where For every type of cheese, a specific lower than 80%. The cheese is combination of temperature and the final characteristics are estab - often wrapped in to prevent lished. excessive water loss. The ripening time may vary between a few Air conditioning: months and up to 8 or 10 Months. During the maturing process, Cheeses like Emmentaler have water vapor needs to be removed a more complex ripening process; from the cheese. Water vapor will 3 to 4 weeks between 8 and 12°C move from the cheese to the air followed by 6 to 7 weeks at 22 to (equilibration) therefore, the air in 25°C. The final stage of ripening the storage area must be continu - is several months between 8 and ously regulated and adjusted. 12°C. The relative humidity remains consistent between 85 and 90%.

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