Author Topic: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours  (Read 2766 times)

Delaney

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Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« on: October 21, 2011, 03:51:44 PM »
Hi,

I'm a beginner at cheese making. Please excuse my ignorance, and steer me in the right direction...

I attempted making cheese for the first time last night with 4L of 3.25% pasteurized goat's milk. My first problem was that a friend accidentally dripped nasty dish water INTO my milk, shortly after I added my culture. I decided to re-pasteurize the milk, and ladle off the top layer so as to get rid of any soap residue... :S

I then cooled the milk to 80F, and added culture again. I added 1/5 of a drop of rennet, as per the instructions on the recipe I was using. I checked on the milk 12 hours later and there is no coagulation whatsoever.

I am using Abiasa rennet. The instructions on the rennet say to add 5 drops/liter...which means I would have needed 20 drops, not 1/5th of a drop....

Another problem is that I did not have non-chlorinated water, so I added the rennet directly into the milk.

Can I salvage this and make cheese still??? Should I add more rennet, dissolving it in water first?

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2011, 06:02:20 PM »
You definitely needed to add more rennet. I would pitch this one and try again.

What kind of cheese were you trying to make? Post your recipe and we'll help you before you start again.

Delaney

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2011, 07:32:45 PM »
Firstly, my culture was Abiasa mesophile aromatic type B (Lc. lactis + Lc. cremoris + Sc. diacetylactis + Ln. cremoris)

This is the recipe I followed:
http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/chevre.htm

Note that a very small amount of this dirty dish water actually did get into the milk...I'm not too worried about that unless it affects fermentation, especially given I re-pasteurized the milk.

If I add more rennet 24 hours later, will this no longer produce good cheese?? Why is it recommended to mix liquid rennet into water, as opposed to adding it directly to the milk?

Thanks,

Delaney.

Delaney

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2011, 07:34:04 PM »
Also, regarding this culture...how long will the opened packet of remaining culture stay viable for in the fridge?

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2011, 10:54:02 PM »
Delaney,

I didn't recommend pitching it because of the soapy water, but because it has already been sitting so long. By now, it is at high risk for contamination. Why take a chance?

Rennet is very aggressive and should be mixed with non-chlorinated water so that it disperses more evenly in the milk.
The instructions on your rennet are correct (sort of) for hard cheeses but not for soft, fresh cheeses. Note that the Fias Farms recipe is for 1/2 gallon, so your rennet amount was not correct anyway for 4 liters (a little over 1 gallon).

If your goat's milk came from a grocery, there is a very high probability that it is ultra-pasteurized (UP), even if it doesn't say so on the label. That means that it was heated to an extra high temperature for an extended period of time. That makes it last longer in your refrigerator, but destroys the proteins and enzymes for cheese making. By "pasteurizing" it again, you just exacerbated the problem.

You should keep the culture in your freezer.

Don't give up. We've all made mistakes.

boothrf

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2011, 01:03:25 AM »
Hi Delaney,

Sailor is right, you should start again with new milk to avoid any hygiene risks. (and maybe keep your friend out of the kitchen  ;) )

Whilst cheesemaking is essentialy a set of fairly simple steps, getting them all right, correct measures, timing, temperatures, sequence is the challenge.

I would sugegst you sit down and study your recipe carefully before you start. Then write out the steps, and the measurements for your milk quantity, before you start making. You may need to scale up or down your quantities, depending on whether your recipe is bigger or smaller than your milk quantity. When you are in the middle of a make, you don't want to be trying to calculate quantities of ingredients as well as monitoring your cheese and trying to remeber the next steps!  If it is all written down in advance it makes the job much simpler.

Of course, reading as much as you can on this forum before you start is also very helpful as we have all had problems and we have all found answers and many of these are recorded on the forum. You can also check your recipe against the ones listed here to see if it is consistent.

Good luck with your next attempt, and keep us informed of progress. And don't hesitate to ask questions! :) :)

Delaney

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2011, 02:25:35 AM »
Hey,

thanks for words of encouragment, and the help. The milk did finally coagulate towards the end of 18 hours, as it was supposed to. This is despite the fact that I didn't have add much rennet. I guess I jumped the gun at twelve hours in assuming that no coagulation meant failure.

Because very little dirty(and potentially soapy) water dripped into the cheese, I did ladle off the top centimeter of milk...and I'm sure dish soap is consumed in small amounts rather often. So long as it hasn't affected fermentation I'll assume this is normal.

At 24 hours, the current consistency is yogurt-like texture, and it smells of yogurt.


I am an accomplished brewer and over-estimated my ability to make a simply cheese. I am humbled and will implement better practices next time, away from unsanitary conditions.

iratherfly

  • Guest
Re: Coagulation, Lactic, Semi - Poor Coagulation @ 12 Hours
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2011, 05:40:21 AM »
This is not a complicated cheese. Lots of "set it and forget it" steps of about 1 day each... The waiting time should be based on the acidity of the milk and you can learn to recognize it visually. When at least 2 of the following 3 things to take place, you are ready to ladle it off:
1. There is a 1cm layer of whey floating on top of the curd
2. The curd seem to detach from the walls of your pot or vat as a single mass
3. A few long cracks appear across the top of the curd

There is no set schedule for that so it could take from 12 to 48 hours to accomplish. That is because the conditions could change (such as temperature) and because milk characteristics such as protein, fat, enzymes and acidity vary dramatically depending on the breed, diet, season, pasteurization process etc. so no two milks are alike.

Also, do not heat it to 80°F. That's far to warm for it. In the summer, do it at 68°F-70°F. In the winter go up to 71°F-73°F. If it's really cold where you are, allow yourself to go to 77°F but really, no more.

If you are using double strength rennet, the measurment for a whole gallon should be 3-4 drops (1/16th of a teaspoon). Dilute them in 1/4 cup of water so that you have enough volume to spread it all over your cheese before mixing. Do not overmix - mix thoroughly but gently, without combining air, for about 30 seconds. When you are done, cover the pot and let it seat. Don't move it, don't touch it, don't check on it don't cook next to it or expose it to extreme high/low temperatures. Just let it be.
 
As for the soap, I join the others here with the same opinion. If Chlorine in faucet water can kill the rennet or starter bacteria, soap would have a similar effect (and would effect acidity). It also can negatively influence the taste and long term aging processes such as the breakdown of proteins and fat. Soap can kill enzymes.  As a general rule of thumb, organize your work area so that no one is in your way and everything is sanitized (people should know what line not to cross and what not to touch when you are making cheese). Don't ever make cheese in a kitchen when other cooking or baking is going on. It's a recipe for disaster and contamination.

Re-pasteurizing only serves to sanitize the milk from bacteria and flora. It will not wash off any soap.  As Sailor said - it will just kill more active things in your milk, thereby making it worst.