How much MA 061 and LH 100 in Emmental ?

[rsterne]

The last time I made Emmental I used 1/8 tsp. Su Casu Culture in a 8.5 litre (just over 2 gal.) make.... I now have TA 061 and LH 100, and I was wondering how much of each to use?.... 1/8 tsp. of each or what?.... I will use 1/8 tsp of P. Shermanii for the eyes.... Also, how long would you ripen at 90*F before adding the rennet?.... I don't have a pH meter.... 

Bob

[Mornduk]

I assume you mean TA061? I use ALPD+Su Casu +PS myself but looking around Caldwell has ThermoB and LH100 as an option for the 12G batch recipe. She recommends 4g ThermoB and 1g LH100, when the manufacturer recommendation for ThermoB would be 4.6g, so she's using the "normal" amount, not substantially lower or higher. That means you can just use the manufacturer recommendation for TA061. The specsheet calls for 1.25-2.5 DCU/100L, the package is 9.2g for 50 DCU (assuming you have the same one), so that would go to 0.02-0.04g according to the manufacturer. But it is a very small batch so I'd up that to 0.1g (~1/32tsp) TA061 and 0.2g (~1/16tsp) LH100.

The ripening might be a problem since TA061 is a faster acidifier than ThermoB, ALPD, etc. Caldwell and Carroll both do the minimum 5-10 mins for cultures to "activate". I measure until 0.15 pH drop, which has averaged to 46 mins in my 12 Emmentaler makes so far. I'd honestly do 5 mins since you'll be using a fast acidifier and a higher dose than recommended.

[Bantams]

I don't make Emmentaler but do make similar Alpine styles. I add rennet as soon as the temp stabilizes at 90°.  I agree with about 1/32-1/16 tsp of each. When I was making small batches (7 gallons) I used a "pinch" of LH100. I would do the same for the PS. 

[rsterne]

Thanks for the help, and yes I meant TA 061.... According to the package, 125 DCU weighs 28.2 g., which is 4.4 DCU per gram.... The TA 061 weighs 0.55 grams for 1/4 tsp. so that is 2.4 DCU... What I was concerned about is how the manufacturers recommendation for 100L batches relates when scaled down to less than 10 L.... With the recommendation for TA 061 being 1.25 - 2.50 ICU per 100L for Emmental, I would assume that if I go with the maximum of 2.5 DCU / 100L and scale that back to 8.5L I should be OK?.... That works out to 0.21 DCU, which is only 0.05 grams, which is less than 1/32 tsp.... 

For the LH 100, the spec sheet says 0.1 - 0.5 DCU in 100L for a cooked cheese, and the package I have is 50 DCU and weighs 25 g., so 2.0 DCU per gram.... However, the LH 100 is a lot more dense, 1/4 tsp. weighs 0.98 grams, so that is almost 2 DCU.... If I go for the maximum, for an 8.5L batch I only need 0.04 DCU, which is about 0.02 grams....That is about 1/200 tsp.... 

These amounts seem incredibly small, compared to using a packet of NEC Thermo, which contains ST, LH and LBB.... 

Caldwell's chart for 2-4 gallon batches says 1/8-1/4 tsp. of TA 061 and 10-50% of that for the LH 100.... Based on that, I was thinking 1/8 tsp. of TA 061 plus 1/16 tsp. of LH 100, and a 10 min. ripening time.... What do you think, am I way over, and what would be the result if I did that?....

Bob

[Bantams]

Some cultures have a lot more filler than others. And you'll even find huge variation between different batches of the same culture - I've had packets that weighed double what the previous batch did! So DCU calculations/gram weights are critical especially for large batches, but very difficult for little home batches. Thermo B is nice for small batches because there's a lot of filler so you use substantially more per gallon - easier to measure. 
Anyway, I'd add a pinch of each and call it good.