From this
beginning, the business of making cheese commercially in this country
has grown until now cheese is almost entirely a factory-made product, in
the manufacture of which the states of New York and Wisconsin lead.
19. In either the commercial or the home production of cheese, skim milk
with all or part of the cream removed is used for some varieties, while
whole milk is used for others, the composition depending largely on the
kind of milk that is employed. Rennet is added to the milk to coagulate
it, and then the curd, from which nearly all the water is removed, is
allowed to ripen. To produce characteristic odors, flavors, and
consistency, various coloring and flavoring materials, as well as
bacteria, are added to the curd. The action of these bacteria is really
the chief factor in the making of cheese and they are therefore not only
desirable but necessary. Non-desirable bacteria, however, result in the
formation of bad odors, flavors, and gases in the finished product and
these must be carefully guarded against by cheese makers.
[Illustration: Fig. 3]
20. Cheese offers a valuable source of nutriment for the body, because
its food value ranks high. As is shown in Fig. 3, the food value in 1
pound of cheese is equivalent to that in 2 pounds of beef, that in 24
eggs, or that in 4 pounds of fish. The use of cheese, however, is not
nearly so great as its food value warrants, the amount used in the
United States per capita being only about 3-1/2 pounds annually.
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