Author Topic: Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting  (Read 2447 times)

darius

  • Guest
Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting
« on: August 17, 2011, 11:34:46 AM »
I finally got some fresh (raw) goat milk, and have made 2 batches of cheese so far... both are Caerphilly.

When I was ready to cut the curds, the whey around the edge was clearish yellow/green just like the cow milk whey. However after cutting, and through the rest of the make, the whey became more milky, like skim milk.

Can anyone tell me why? Did I do something wrong, or is it the nature of the beast?

(Cheese from the 9 quart batch weighed 2.29 lbs after pressing; the second batch was just 1 gallon and weighed 1.21 lbs so I don't feel I "lost" anything.)

Here's the whey, sitting out on the porch...

Oberhasli

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2011, 06:48:27 AM »
Hey Darius,

I've only had the milky type of whey when I didn't have a good set after adding the rennet.  I have only had that problem making mozzarella and cambozola and I added calcium chloride to help the set with the cambozola because of the added cream.    I assume from your post that everything else went according to the recipe plan and the curds were fine for making your Caerphilly.  It does seem odd for the whey to be so milky looking though.   I hope your cheese turns out fine.  I do think though with the milky whey you might have lost some of your curd in the whey when you drained it.

Bonnie

darius

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2011, 11:03:14 AM »
Thanks, Bonnie.

My instincts tell me there are milk solids lost in the whey, as you said. Since it's my first raw milk cheese of any kind, I have no frame of reference for yield. The curds were firm with a nice texture.


Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2011, 02:53:35 PM »
Your yield is excellent. Milky whey can be from a poor set, but it also comes from being too aggressive with the cutting and stirring. Try letting your curds heal longer. On Mozz for example, I cut vertically in 1 direction only, rest for 5 minutes, then finish the vertical in the perpendicular direction, rest 5 minutes, then do the horizontal cuts. Stir gently, especially when the curds are more fragile than normal.

There are 2 different important proteins in milk - casein (calcium) and albumin. When making cheese, we primarily coagulate the casein and the albumin is left in the whey. That's where Ricotta comes from.
« Last Edit: August 20, 2011, 12:46:28 AM by Sailor Con Queso »

darius

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2011, 07:41:44 PM »
Thanks Sailor... that makes sense. I had to chase the curd mass around the pot on the first batch in order to cut it, so it had a lot of motion!

ilvalleygal

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2011, 07:46:50 PM »
I started making chevre cheese with goat's milk and have since expanded since I thought I was getting pretty good at the chevre. Then, one day almost all the fine curds wanted to run out of the cloth with the whey. According to my goat farmer who also makes cheese, sometimes that just happens. It depends on the goat's milk cycle when the fat particles in the milk can be very tiny. Fats in goat's milk are much smaller, almost like a naturally homogenized milk, but there are times when they are extremely fine she said. I just made do with what little was left and the next batch of cheese was back to regular yields. I still get white milky whey from chevre when compared to any of the cheeses I make from raw guernsey milk.

darius

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Rennet, Goat, Raw - Milky Whey When Cutting
« Reply #6 on: August 24, 2011, 09:56:39 PM »
Thanks...  the vagaries of the milk cycle must be the cause.

I have another 'make' going even as I write. It's almost ready to drain and the whey looks normal. In fact the whole make so far has felt far better than the first two.