Author Topic: Understanding Casein to Fat Ratios  (Read 3347 times)

Spoons

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Understanding Casein to Fat Ratios
« on: November 08, 2013, 05:22:50 PM »
I want to start improving my method involving milk, more specifically, understanding proteins and caseins. I don’t want to earn a PhD in micro biology though… lol… just want to know how a home cheese maker can improve their store bought milk, and how to estimate and adjust the casein to fat ratio content.

My first question is: Am I understanding it right that it`s not just a good protein level that's helpful in cheesemaking, but it's rather a casein to fat ratio? if so, is there a guideline for casein to fat ratio by cheese type? That would be helpful.

My second question is: when estimating casein content in milk, we estimate about 78% of total proteins content? For instance, if the label on the milk container says there’s 10g of protein per 100ml, then the casein amount is about 7.8g per 100ml?

My third question is: if I want to add casein, then I add dry non-fat milk, but the casein content is only about 28% of protein content? I also read that you can only add up to 2% powdered milk. What is this 2%, by weight? 

My fourth question is: Am I taking this hobby too far?  :P
« Last Edit: November 08, 2013, 05:28:47 PM by Spoons »

linuxboy

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Re: Understanding Casein to Fat Ratios
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2013, 06:28:04 PM »
Um... why are you doing this? Unless you want to try and increase consistency and yield on  large scale, or somehow replicate a cheese exactly (which is super hard even if you do everything right), trying to do so much milk manipulation does not necessarily equate to the best quality cheese. Dry milk, for example, to me always tastes bad in cheese. I can always taste a defect. I would rather change up the cheese style or not stick to the identity so much, and focus on moisture and acidity control, and make cheese with the best, honest milk you have.

If you really want to know... yes casein:fat ratio is ideal measure because it helps to determine coagulant strength, moisture level, and final cheese FDM as a result. There's a table I posted here before, and one on UGuelph site. Yes, it's about 80-ish percent casein in the total protein fraction of milk. for NFDM addition, it depends on your source and what you get. The 2% comes from a guideline to avoid flavor defects. Yes, it's by weight, because you are calculating the total anhydrous casein.

Spoons

  • Guest
Re: Understanding Casein to Fat Ratios
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2013, 07:18:42 PM »
Um... why are you doing this?

This answers all of my questions! lol!

I guess with all the reading I've done on cheese making lately, I probably started to deviate in an unnecessary path for a home cheese maker. I was wondering why dry milk was only used on large scale.

Thanks for the info Pav!

linuxboy

  • Guest
Re: Understanding Casein to Fat Ratios
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2013, 10:37:34 PM »
Even in commercial scales, we debate this very heatedly. Some of us think that the moment you go to standardization, the cheese is no longer "artisan". That there is something innate about knowing how to handle milk variability and seasonality that makes for an artistic expression due to the connectedness involved. I could see doing PF or CF experiments on a small scale to understand how components affect quality when you are trying to perfect a single recipe... but overall to do it for eating and on a small scale, I'm not sure I see the justification.