DAIRY RESEARCH

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 700, 27 June 1929, Page 6

DAIRY RESEARCH

FINE WORK DONE BY MASSEY COLLEGE IMPROVEMENT OF CHEESE (THE SUN’S Special Reporter) WHANGAREI, Wednesday. New Zealand now has a dairy research organisation at the Massey Agricultural College comparing favourably with anything in the Empire, according to the director, Professor W. Riddet, speaking to delegates at the annual conference of the National Dairy Association. Various .types of dairy factory floorings and new metals to determine which, had the least harmful effects on produce elements which came into contact with them were being tried out in the model factory in connection with the college. Careful experiments with various testing methods had proved the Gerber and Babcock systems equally reliable. Two other new methods had been tried and found unlikely to displace the two mentioned. There had been devised at the college a cheap and effective method of generating steam on the farm for sterilisation purposes.. CHEESE PROBLEMS The college experts had given close attention to the problem of openness in cheese, which was beset by many difficulties. More than 90 per cent, of New Zealand cheese was made from pasteurised milk, and the college was now awaiting advice from England concerning cheeses made at the college under different processes of pasteurisation, the object being to find their effects upon openness. It had been found that in very few instances were factory milk supplies up to the required standard, and pasteurisation could not entirely overcome such defects. Professor Riddet was of the opinion that cleaner milking, better cooling, purer “starters,” and purer water supplies would result in a great improvement in the cheese quality. It had been ascertained that the use of whole milk “starter” caused no loss of butter-fat content.