WINTER-MADE CHEESE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 832, 2 June 1910, Page 8

WINTER-MADE CHEESE.

'AVOIDING THE TURNIP FLAVOUR. Important experiments are now being carried out by the Department of Agriculture with a view, to .eradicating tho turnip flavour from milk so that winter-made cheese may : command as good a price as that "'manufactured in summer, when the cows are running on: ordinary grass pasture. The experiments are being made at tho Edendale Cheese' Factory, which is remaining open throughout the wiinter as. usual. They are being conducted by: Mr. James Sawers and Mr. A. C. Ross, the Government dairy instructors of Southland and Otago respectively. Tho two 'instructors are srtated to be dealing ■ each day with one vat of milk, of which onehalf is manufactured into cheese on the ordinary linos, the-other-being specially treated before the cheese, is made. Whereas the usual method of cheesemaking is to licat the milk to a. -temperature of 86 or-88 degrees before the addition of the rennet, the preliminary stage in tne. experiment is tho pasteurising of the milk by- raising its temperature to heats varying between 130 and 170 degrees, and then without delay running it over a cooler to •<■ reduce the temperature to between 80 and 86 degrees. The experiments have been made at varying heats in order to afford different tests as a line to the best results. After the pasteurisation. has been carried out, certain, other treatment is effected, the naturo of. which", however, is for the present not divulged. The instructors nevertheless supplied tho information' that-the experiments were certainly partially successful, as the two varieties of cheese had a marked difference in taste, tho turnip flavour in the one specially treated having entirely disappeared. Tho lasting qualities of the cheese were, however, still on trial, and it would be a matter of threo or four weeks before it could be definitely annoujicsd whether. or not the results, would be entirely satisfactory.