MILK RIPENESS

The milk delivered to the cheese factory in the morning is usually processed immediately, while they are placed at noon and in the evening, or are processed in the evening, or keep it until the next day, to process them together with the morning milking, is it full, or after harvesting the cream. When it comes only to keeping the milk in a sweet state for 6 do 18 hours, e.g. midday milk and evening milking until the next morning, then we cool them down to the lowest possible temperature, especially in summer, when milk is perishable, i.e.. heavily infected. However, in winter, when in our climate there is generally a shortage of useful lactic acid bacteria, the excessive cooling of the cheese milk misses its purpose. Admittedly, the milk will be sweet, but the question will arise, whether it will not be broken down more or less by bacteria growing at low temperatures, when they are not inhibited by lactic acid bacteria. After all, in temperature 10 up to 5 ° C are still active: Bacteriimi fluorescens, proteus, cocci and alkalizing bacilli. On the other hand, in temperature 15 up to 35 ° C, pests such as coli-aerogenes breed. Therefore, the milk must be cooled below 15 ° C.
We know, that pure lactic acid bacteria grow slowly even at temperatures above 10 ° C; by increasing this temperature to 14 ° C, we facilitate their development. However, beware of higher temperatures in this case due to the possible presence of bloating bacteria.
Never keep milk in winter, which is to mature, at temperatures below 12 ° C. Sometimes we even inoculate them with a small amount of leaven.
These are the tips, how to handle milk, which is to mature.
The maturation of cheese requires the presence of a certain amount of lactic acid bacteria already in the milk. This desired resource is variable and not the same for every type of cheese. The most common requirement is, that the incubation period in the milk is not exceeded or not, i.e.. the period from infection to the appearance of signs of milk metabolism.
Sometimes it is desirable to more or less exceed the incubation period.
The course of both periods of development of bacteria in the milk is called the maturation of the milk, and his condition at the time of the beginning of the transformation with his malice. Usually, this irritability is judged by the degree of acidity of the milk. Thus, Emmental cheese requires the rage of milk to express itself 17 do 18°M, brie 18 do 20°M, camembert around 22 ° M, cheddar 17 do 20°M.
The lag time from milking until the onset of the appropriate degree of rage depends on the initial contamination and a convenient temperature. Sometimes the desired irritation of the milk is accelerated by adding a little leaven to it, especially in winter. Cheese milk matures best in shallow standing bowls placed in cool and airy chambers, which will be discussed later.