Choozit DCU and weight in grams

[Danbo]

Yesterday I made a simple piquante pressed cheese (Caldwell p. 254).

I usually make batches of 24 litres. The recipe in Caldwells book has two options when measuring ingredients:

- for making an 8-liter-batch with amounts in grams
  0,6 g MA4000

- for making a 46-liter-batch with amounts in DCU
   2 U MA4000

My new bag of MA4000 contains 25 DCU and 4,4 g, hence 1 DCU = 0,18 g.

In other words it seems strange that a batch of 8 litres demands 0,6 g, while 46 litres demands only 2x0,18=0,36 g...

What amount of MA4000 would you use for a 24-liter-batch?

What am I missing here?

:-) Danbo

[Stinky]

3/4 tsp. 

[scasnerkay]

I have never gone by weight on the culture. Seems to work out fine just using dry measurement, and I don't have a scale (yet) for doing such small measurements. The first time I went from 2 gallons to 4 gallons of milk, I just doubled the dry measurement of starter. I have not done so since, due to the overly rapid acidification that happened. Instead of 1/2 teaspoon in 4 gallons, I would use 3/16 or less. So in 6 gallons, probably 1/2 tsp.

[H-K-J]

I would say 3/16 tsp to 1/4 tsp. I'm not sure but I wouldn't put over 3/8 tsp. and let it ripen 45 min to an hour.

[Stinky]

1/4 tsp. is what's given in pretty much all the recipes I have, and that's for two gallons. I'm sure you could get away with less, and 1/2 tsp. would be absolutely fine.

[Danbo]

Thanks for your input.

I decided to just multiply the original small scale recipe with a factor of 3. So I added 1,31 grams / 3,75 ml (a teaspoon is 5 ml).

I still can't quite get it. According to my culture supplier my bag of 25 DCU is enough to ripen 500 liter milk! 1 DCU is 0,18 grams in my case (total weight of the content in the bag was 4,4 grams).

:-) Danbo

[qdog1955]

Danbo-----just doesn't sound logical to me either----I've been wanting to make some mother cultures, but all the dcu stuff confuses me and yes I have read all the stuff here on mother cultures-----it's just my rocket science brain farting out my ears
 My last Caerphilly---4 gallons was 1/4 tsp. MA4001 and I met all my ph targets on schedule.
Qdog

[Danbo]

;-)

I think that I have an OK understanding of DCU. It's just another way of saying how much power is in the actual batch of culture.

In the Caldwell's book there are two versions of the recipe - one for an 8-liter-batch that says 1/4 tsp (0,6g) and one for a 46 liter batch that says 2U (in my case 2x0,18g=0,36g).

What I don't understand is that a 46-liter-batch requires only half the amount of culture compared to an 8-liter-batch...?!

:-) Danbo

[Danbo]

I think that I have found the explanation...

I found the following short text on Canadian Danlac (they sell Choozit products):
- When you shop for a new culture the terminology might differ from what you are used to. LYO 100 DCU is a direct set culture for 1000 Liter milk
- Size changed from 1 u = 10 DCU since summer of 2005 (10, 50, 100, 200 & 500 DCU)

That makes so much more sense in my case (as U and DCU is not the same):
- 8 liter batch: 0,6g
- 46 liter batch: 2U x 10 x 0,18g = 3,6g

Now it all makes sense again (that is if I am right)! :-)

:-) Danbo