When the surface of the cheese becomes dry and the rind is well formed, the cheese may be paraffined. It usually requires four to six days after cheeses are taken from the hoop before they are ready for this process. The object of paraffining is to prevent the escape of moisture and to keep the cheese from molding.
248. Evaporation of moisture from the cheese during ripening.—The losses due to evaporation while the cheeses are curing are a considerable item. The rate of evaporation depends on the temperature and humidity of the curing-room, the size of the cheese, the moisture-content and protection to the surface.
Table XIX[120] shows the effect of size of cheese and temperature of the curing-room, on losses while curing. This table shows that the evaporation of moisture is more as the size of the cheese decreases and the temperature is increased. This is probably due to the fact that the smaller cheese has more surface to a pound than a large cheese. The evaporation increases with temperature, probably because of lowered relative humidity. The humidity can be tested with an hygrometer.
TABLE XIX
Showing the Variation of Losses in Weight of CheddarCheese while Curing, Due to Size of Cheese and Temperatureof Curing-Room | |||
| Weight of Cheese in Pounds | Weight Lost per 100 Pounds of Cheese in 20 Weeks at | ||
| 40° F. | 50° F. | 60° F. | |
70 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 4.2 |
| 45 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 5.1 |
| 35 | 3.9 | 5.9 | 8.5 |
| 12½ | 4.6 | 8.1 | 12.0 |
The higher the moisture-content of the cheese, usually the more rapid is the evaporation. This is due to several causes: there is more moisture to evaporate; the moisture is not so well incorporated; a moist cheese does not form so good a rind.
249.Paraffining[121] consists of dipping the cheese in melted paraffin at a temperature of about 220° F. for six seconds. Fig. 54 shows an apparatus for paraffining. This leaves a very thin coat of paraffin on the cheese; at a lower temperature, a thicker coat would be left. The thicker coating is more liable to crack and peel off. If the cheese is not perfectly dry before it is treated, the paraffin will blister and crack off.
Before a cheese is paraffined, the press cloth is removed and also the starched circles, if loose. After a cheese has been paraffined, if the coating is not broken, the loss due to evaporation is greatly reduced. The amount of paraffin to coat a 35-pound cheese will depend on the temperature of the paraffin and the length of time the cheese is immersed. Usually at 220° F. it requires about 0.15
Fig. 54.—A paraffiner for cheese. of a pound for each 35-pound cheese. After the cheeses have been paraffined, they may be left on the curing-room shelves or boxed ready to ship.