Several recipes talk about using Calcium Chloride salt to help curd formation of store bought pasteurized homogenized milk.
Calcium Chaloride is used for melting road ice (http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_chlorine/sec_content.asp?CID=1240&DID=4718&CTYPEID=113) and many hardware store have huge cheap bags of it, but I assume of low grade / non food quality.
I also found that DOW Chemicals (http://www.dow.com/calcium/product/index.htm) has a list of different Calcium Chloride grades they manufacturer, some food grade.
The best quality I can see online is I think very refined/pure Calcium Chloride used for salt water aquarium enthusiasts (http://www.petstore.com/ps_viewitem.aspx?idproduct=EV2121).
I've seen it available from Cheese Supply Websites, but does anyone know what concentration and where they are getting their supply from, ie while only using a very little, is it food grade edible quality?
Any thoughts/advice?
we found it at a drug store. the drugist was good enough to check into the allowed uses and found it was a food grade product. the cost was $18 but you have enough for years of cheese making
reg
Thanks reg, I also checked at large CVS store's prescription department here and they said they have nothing (I think they do have it like you found and use it for prescriptions) and sent me to the stomach acids area where nothing. I'll try another pharmacy.
I work in oil business and when working in Siberia in early 90's we used it for making dense brine for killing wells and I took a sample, see attached snap. I used one small or 1/2 a large "ball" that I weighed at just under 1 gram for a 1 US gallon batch of cheese.
I have to find a better source than this 15 year old Russian non-food grade Calcium Chloride, my only consolation is that the amount is small.
How much do you use for what size batch?
morning CH. for each gal of milk we use 1/8 teaspoon, not even enough to weigh
reg
Just an fyi I bought 200g of food grade calcium chloride online from a brew your own beer and wine store for £2.50
Probably going to need to work out the quantities reqd tho.
From Leeners.com
"CALCIUM CHLORIDE SOLUTION 1 oz.$1.95 1 pt.$7.95
Improves curd size and texture when using store bought milk. One teaspoon will treat 2 gallons of milk. 30% solution. To compensate for the processing of store bought milk, add calcium chloride prior to adding rennet to the cheese mixture. The addition of calcium chloride will help restore the altered milk protein and aid in the development of a quality curd. Specific instructions for using calcium chloride are given with recipes "
For the record, i just tried to create some cheddar WITHOUT the Calcium Chloride.
Store bought, homogenized, pasteurized whole milk.
It was a complete failure. had to pitch all 5 gallons. After 90 min of setting (double the usual time) my pH was down to 5.8 and i had curd the consistency of yogurt.
i will always use Calcium Chloride on homogenized milk.
As others have said Calcium Chloride can be found at any home brew store wine making store. They usually come in 2 oz. packs. Take 1/2 oz. by weight and mix with 4 oz. water. Mix until disolved and it will last forever. It's best to use in it's diluted form as opposed to granulated form and after you mix it, it's ready to use so you don't have to fuss while making cheese.
i bought a dry form of calcium chloride from the local homebrew shop. for *beer* you would typically used about 1/2 tsp for a 5G batch.
according to the info i can find, in water, "1 gram per gallon adds 72 ppm calcium, 127 ppm chloride".
do you guys think 1/4tsp for the 2G batch, like the liquid version?
First off it's best to dilute it ahead of time in DISTILLED WATER NOT TAP WATER! That way its ready and disolved any time you need it. I don't know if it's necessary but I use a glass jar, I presonally use a mason jar, easy to find and cheap, or buy a glass bottle of something at the store and drink it and use it. Make sure to label it.
Anyway, if it's a 2 oz. pack of dry mix it with 16 oz. of DISTILLED water, then use 1/8 tsp. per gallon, so for 2 gallons 1/4 tsp. Good luck.
dime0000 good question, I've never really taken the time to figure out the concentration as I know that this bottle I bought (http://www.dairyconnection.com/equipment.htm#cal) works well at 1/2 teaspoon diluted CaCl2 per 1 US gallon of store bought pasteurized homogenizd whole cow's milk.
Yikes, I just re-read that vendors directions, says to use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons for 3 US gallons of milk :o! Oops, no wonder I've recently been getting a great curd set ::). Anyone know what the result is of using too much CaCl2?
If you go to my info page on Calcium Chloride (https://cheeseforum.org/Making/Calcium_Chloride.htm) and click on the thumbnail you get a bigger picture and the label gives some concentration details.
John, you're always self-flatulating (is that what I mean) YOU have the great question!!!! If you're getting a great curd, maybe we should be adding more CACL. I don't think it will hurt, it's basically calcium salt, so it has a salty taste. But we use it in so little quantities it won't matter.
John, are you using store bought milk? If so what do you curds looks like after you cut them? Are they that perfect Tofu Jello mass? I'm trying to figure out if we all get the same result from store bought milk and if one of us has a better curds, what he/she is doing.
Quote from: Cartierusm on January 03, 2009, 02:27:28 AM
Anyway, if it's a 2 oz. pack of dry mix it with 16 oz. of DISTILLED water, then use 1/8 tsp. per gallon, so for 2 gallons 1/4 tsp. Good luck.
LOL - i just checked, and it's actually a pound!! So anyway - cool, 2oz to 16oz dist. water.
thanks!
2 oz. by weight and 16 oz. by volume, crazy americans and their voodoo system of measurements...oh I'm american, doh!
16 oz. of water, not a total of 16 oz. including the powder.
Cartier I know this is way late for this thread but would that be self-flagellating?
I am sure that CH whilst being otherwise a perfect human being also does the other lmao
<cough> sorry CH :-)
Sal, how's the austrian getaway?
Yep, my second to last batch when made Camembert (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,587.0.html) I had too good a curd set, was already receeding from wall of stockpot when I went to cut it :o 75 minutes after adding rennet, see picture.
Last batch was Feta making (https://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,625.0.html) and again great curd set and nice de-wheying as you can see in pictures, sorry no picture of before cut curd.
Both those batches used 1 US gallon of store bought pasteurized homogenized whole (3.5% I think) cow's milk, 1/2 teaspoon of my diluted CaCl2, ~3 grams manufactured mesophilic culture, and ~3 grams powdered rennet. I stirred both CaCl2 and rennet in for about 1 minute each using a whisk to get full dilution.
I'm not sure if it's the excellent stirring or the excessive CaCl2 that's giving the great curd set.
First off both of those cheeses look excellent. Second, very interesting that you got such a good set from just a little more CA CL. I'll have to find out what it will do to the cheese if I add more.
So ...I just bought a pound of calcium chloride that is for raising the Ca levels of pool water.
I feel like an idiot asking this since I'm almost positive of the answer, but.... Can I use this?
What does "Food grade" mean
I figure the chemical formula is the chemical, so buying CaCl2 for a pool is the same as buying CaCl2 from a brewshop. New England Cheesemaking Company sells a pint for 20 bucks or so and that seems pretty expensive. I know leener's sells it for 8 but they have a min. 10 dollar order and I'm also impatient and want to get going here making some cheese! Anyway, I guess I'll hold off on dumping toxic chemicals into milk for the night until I hear from someone. Thanks in advance.
Hello Aikage and welcome to this forum. I made a small info page on CaCl2 here (https://cheeseforum.org/Making/Calcium_Chloride.htm).
Good question that I have also wondered, see the OP in this thread where I almost ordered high grade salt water aquarium grade CaCl2, but then chickened out and bought from cheese making supply store. To be fair I didn't use any for my first 10-15 cheese making's wher I used store bought past milk and still got good curd sets.
I think the issue is it's purity as I think CaCl2 is a mined and refined product. The concern is not the CaCl2 but the makeup of all the other ingredients.
There is a guide book here (http://www.dow.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_005c/0901b8038005cab1.pdf?filepath=calcium/pdfs/noreg/173-01534.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc) from Dow Chemicals.
You use very small amounts of it even in aqueos solution and it lasts for ever. Why not make cheese without it and when order supplies add it to your order . . . good luck in your decision.
Hi,
All chemicals are graded according to various grades, as follows:
A.C.S.: A chemical grade of highest purity and meets or exceeds purity standards set by American Chemical Society (ACS).
Reagent: High purity generally equal to A.C.S. grade and suitable for use in many laboratory and analytical applications.
USP Grade (United States Pharmocopeia), NF Grade (National Formulary), or FCC Grade (Food Chemical Codex): chemicals are manufactured in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) standards and that meet the requirements of the USP, NF, or FCC.: A chemical grade of sufficient purity to meet or exceed requirements of the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP); acceptable for food, drug, or medicinal use; may be used for most laboratory purposes.
Lab: A chemical grade of relatively high quality with exact levels of impurities unknown; usually pure enough for educational applications. Not pure enough to be offered for food, drug, or medicinal use of any kind.
Purified: Also called pure or practical grade, and indicates good quality chemicals meeting no official standard; can be used in most cases for educational applications. Not pure enough to be offered for food, drug, or medicinal use of any kind.
Technical: Good quality chemical grade used for commercial and industrial purposes. Not pure enough to be offered for food, drug, or medicinal use of any kind.
You must use USP grade or above. You can usually find rather cheap USP+ grade CaCl2 on ebay or your local chemical supply store. You don't need very much to make a pint of 30% solution. It's definitely cheaper to make your own, but if you want 30% solution exactly, you need to dehydrate the CaCl2 first, then measure the weight and dissolve.
I'm not sure if the pool chemical you got is USP grade. Most likely, it is not. Then again, it might be, say, graded to technical or above, and actually be higher purity, but the manufacturer doesn't need to certify it as that purity, so doesn't pay for the more expensive tests and certification. I would feel comfortable buying USP CaCl2 from a reputable dealer and making my own solution, but not from a pool supply place.
Thanks Linuxboy. You never fail to deliver quality info.
I got some calcium chloride in the mail today!I'm gonna make me some pepper jack cheese this weekend! ;D
calcium is essential in the regulation of any coagulation process be it hemostasis (blood clotting) or curd knitting in cheese making. It is used in the covalent(?) bonds that are formed. Too little, and the bonds due not form( or at too weak a strength). Too much, the bonds due not form( or the bonds actually are driven apart). Both things are bad obviously either in hemostasis or cheese making. As has already been documented here on the forum, the pasteruization process in commercial milk production removes some of the naturally occurring calcium, hence the need to supply supplemental calcium when using commercial milk. From what I have read, and through my own experiences in cheese making, the use needs to be ~ 1/4 tsp per two gallons of milk of a 30% cacl solution diluted in cool DI water. With that rate of application I have had very nice curd formation. Now to my question for the forum-next week I am going to make a goat cheese cheddar using fresh milk. I have read in a couple of sources that you should use cacl when using goat milk. Does that mean even fresh goat milk? :)
Hi zenith,
Goat milk for me sets better than cow milk, but it depends on the feed and period in lactation when the milk is gathered. Winter milk is not used by some cheesemakers because of poor quality. But you can use it if you adjust your process.
For raw milk, I don't use additives and it works well as is. I use CaCl is only for pasteurized milk or for cow's milk or winter milk.
thanks for the info, I think that I will go without the addition of the cacl.
Quote from: zenith1 on May 08, 2009, 09:52:14 PM
the use needs to be ~ 1/4 tsp per two gallons of milk of a 30% cacl solution diluted in cool DI water.
Stupid question.
Why do we need to dilute the CaCl solution in water before adding to the cheese? I understand for the rennet if you don't it can curdle prematurely where the rennet first enters the milk, resulting it poor texture. But CaCl does not cause curdling by itself. So why can't we skip that step and just add it directly?
Thanks
Craig
Diluted solutions dissolve better. You can skip that step, but it may take longer or require more stirring to distribute the Ca2+ ions. It's basic osmotic distribution. That is, a more dilute solution will take less time to distribute its dissolved ions.
cbbaron-no questions are stupid here. We are all here to learn. Keep posting. I agree with linuxboy about dilutions of all additives- they just work better done that way. I always put any additives into solution after diluting them first be it ca cl, rennet, or coloring. :)
Is the conclusion that it can't hurt to add the CaCl?
Depends on how much. If you go above .02% by weight, you will get a chalky cheese. A little bit goes a long way. In general, for raw summer milk, there's just no need for it.
I read somewhere in this thread that stupid questions are encouraged!!
so here goes....
CaChloride - dont you have to add it into your brine???? The brine making page states this?
All my milk is raw farm milk so I dont need it for that, but thought if I am going to get this brine thing correct I need it for that?
PS I my Feta started melting in my brine :'(.
Next brine I am going for whey instead of water. and I assume I wont need CaCl.
another question - do I need to add CaCl if I pasteurise my milk???
I havent so far.
Cath -
Not everyone uses calcium chloride in there brine mix. Some people just use salt and water. I prefer whey, salt, calcium chloride and vinegar for most cheeses. We all have our own thing.
OK - I understand. Its a trial and error thing I spose.
The surface of higher fat cheeses can become very soft and slimy if you don't use Calcium chloride in your brine. If the calcium content of your brine is less than the calcium in your cheese, the calcium in the cheese will leech out into the brine.
thks for that snippet of info Sailor - our herd is predominantly Jersey and our fat tests out at about 5% fat and will rise to about 7% by May.
I wonder if that will affect it. I will store it away somewhere in my 'memory banks' - 8)
Debi - vinegar in your brine/whey? How much? Why?
-Boofer-
I made Havarti yesterday. I ran out of liquid calcium chloride and bought some in a pellet form. I mixed 16 oz of water with 1 oz of the pellet calc chl and my cheese came out perfect as far as I can tell. I refilled my small bottle and put the rest in a jar in the fridge. I think I have enough to last at least two years. I have also been making my own meso culture with the buttermilk recipe. My last six batches have been excellent. I have another quart of yogurt sitting on the counter now getting ready.
Boofer I add about a tablespoon to about a gallon of whey/brine. It seems to keep the mold from forming on my cheeses.
Thanks, Debi. I'll add that to my list of tweaks.
-Boofer-
The pH of your brine should approximate the pH of your cheese. You can use vinegar or citric acid to bring the pH down as needed.
That is another good use for vinegar I forgot to mention - adjusting the pH of your brine. It is particularly important if you are not using your whey for you brine mix.
like sailor, i use a pinch or two (as confirmed by my pH meter) of Citric Acid to adjust brine.
Its cheap. 1lb for 3.75USD (http://leeners.com/chemical-additives.html)
I have been adding salt to my whey and using that for the past several cheeses when I brine. That should be acidic enough, huh?
The justification that I read for adding vinegar was to ward off mold.
-Boofer-
Salt is not acidic. You need to occasionally add citric acid or vinegar to you brine to adjust the pH.
I do realize salt is not acidic. ::) Did I mention I was using my acidic whey for the brine? Over the course of a brining session spanning 6 to many hours would it be essential to adjust the acidity as well as the calcium (CACL2)? I could understand that need if the cheese was larger than say, 4 pounds.
-Boofer-
I wouldn't adjust anything during a brining session. Just refresh the salt, the CaCl2 and the pH before each use.