Equipment and raw material

(i) Vat: Traditionally the stainless steel vats are used for cheese making. Generally the vats are mainly rectangular in design with a jacket and special H type arrangement in the bottom for uniform distribution of steam and water supply in the jacket. They are open to atmosphere. The capacity may range from 100to 2000 litres or more.

(ii) Curd knives: In cheese making the coagulum is cut to expel whey and to facilitate further operation. A set of two curd knives are used for cutting the curd. The Knives consist of a series wires set in a frame support at a specific distance (0.5-2.5 cm). In one knife the wires are set vertically and in the other horizontally. The knives are provided with a handle for smooth working. The use of horizontal knife is first performed to cut the coagulum in slabs which are

then further cut into strips and finally into cubes using vertical knife.

(iii) Stirrers/Agitators/ for Milk, Whey Curd: For thorough mixing of starter culture, additives and rennet in cheese milk as well as for efficient heat transfer to achieve uniform heating of the curd /whey mixture it is essential that the contents of the vat be stirred satisfactorily. At farm / small scale level this is possible using an agitator like rack or plunger made of some metal by moving it to and fro in the vat.

(iv) Whey Removal: Depending on the variety of cheese, the whey and curd are separated by different methods from the curd – whey mixture. A common practice is to allow the cooked curd to settle which is then pushed to one end of the vat using a perforated rack. A gate strainer is then inserted in the valve of the vat and whey is drained.

(v) Curd Mill: The curd mill consists of a piece of apparatus equipped to cut slabs of curd into strips about ½-1 inch wide and 2-3 inches long. The cutting is usually done either by power operated peg mills or by rotating disc cutters.

(vi) Cheese Hoops / Moulds: Used for holding the curd in preparation for pressing the curd and shaping the finished cheese. Stainless steel aluminum or its alloys are used for fabrication of moulds. Plastics of various composition are now replacing metals for cheese moulds.

(vii) Cheese Cloth: The cheese hoops are lined with a cheese cloth.

(viii)Cheese Press: The very hard, hard and semi-hard varieties of cheeses are pressed either in vertical or horizontal presses under normal atmospheric conditions and / or under vacuum to acquire a close texture and good surface.The pressing parameters (i.e. pressure, duration and temperature, etc) give the cheese its final shape, produces cheese with a firm; and smooth surface, and helps to lower its moisture content to the desired level.Short pressing for 2-3 h takes place in pneumatic or hydraulic press at 40-50 kPa., after which cheeses are removed from the moulds and cooled quickly.This method is used for cheeses with medium moisture content. A longer period at high pressure is used for Cheddar, 100-150 kPa (1-1.5kg/sq.cm) for up to 24 h. The pressure applied is dependent upon the type of cheese and it can be achieved using either (1) a spring loaded or screw mechanism or (2) hydraulic press or (3) pneumatic systems or (4) vacuum presses. The former type is manually operated and hence the other systems are more common in mechanized cheese factories. In general the cheeses are pressed in individual moulds (i.e. in single or multi row) or in bulk. Different cheese pressing systems that are available today include (1) Horizontal “creeping” or gang press, (2) Vertical press, (3) Rotary press, (4) Vacuum presses and (5) Bulk presses (Large hoop or ton press).

(ix) Miscellaneous Items: Miscellaneous items used in cheese making include: thermometers, gate strainers, shovels, samplers, plungers, milk testing glassware etc. The thermometer used in cheese making must be accurate and be housed in a sturdy casing to avoid breakage. Floating type thermometers are also available and are used. The gate strainers, samplers, plungers, shovels, etc. used in cheese making are made out of stainless steel.Raw materials: milk, starter, rennet, salt, etc.