Author Topic: high fat % milk  (Read 945 times)

timkrav

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high fat % milk
« on: November 05, 2013, 10:02:50 AM »
my camembert recipe calls for 3.5% milk however I get my milk directy from the farm and they have English Jersey cows and average milk fat is 5.6%. Do I have to do anything with the milk? Is higher fat percentage better or wose? How does it affect the taste and quantity ( I would assume yeild would be higher)

WovenMeadows

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Re: high fat % milk
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2013, 12:46:02 PM »
A couple things: first, higher fat in milk will probably be accompanied by higher protein as well, and really it is the ratio of fat to protein that is at stake (specifically the non-whey protein). The assumed milk of 3.5%fat in your recipe would probably have 3.0% protein (here in the US Holsteins are the most common breed, and their components average those levels). But your Jersey cow milk might have anywhere from 3.5 to 3.9% protein (with the fat so high, I'd think the protein was high end too). The same ratio of 3:3.5 for the former would yield 3.8:4.5 for the latter. So 5.6% would still be on the high side. And yes, higher fat and higher protein increase the yield.

Second though, for a hard cheese too much fat can make the cheese too soft or cause other problems. Plus, the coagulum can only hold so much fat, so some of the extra fat simply gets lost to the whey. For a softer type though (bloomy rinds, washed rinds, and blues), they can handle the extra fat, and for example your double- and triple-cream Brie actually have more cream/fat added to the milk. Makes the cheese more luscious and creamy, and firmer and milder. So depending on what you want, a high-fat milk for a Camembert will work quite well.

timkrav

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Re: high fat % milk
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2013, 01:53:40 PM »
excellent, thank you! yeah Jerseys average 3.7-4.4% protein -this milk is absolutely delicious. how can I calculate the nutritional value and fat in particular in my final product?