| Water | 50-55 per cent |
| Fat | 23-28 per cent |
| Casein | 18-21 per cent |
| Salt | 0.5-1.25 per cent |
| Yield 12-14 lb. per 100 lb. of milk. | |
134. Partially skim Neufchâtel.—Brands of Neufchâtel made from milk that would test every gradation from whole milk to separator skimmed-milk may be found. The quality of the product varies with the skill of the maker from brands no better than cottage cheese to products scarcely distinguishable from the best whole-milk Neufchâtel. Many factories that produce more than one quality of Neufchâtel use labels of different color, different design or both to separate them; for example, blue labels usually stand for whole milk, red labels represent lower grades. Sometimes the difference in material is indicated by a clear cut grade mark. Frequently color, a design of label or both are the only definite marks upon the cheese. The consumer unfamiliar with the trade practice commonly has no means of knowing the quality of the product offered. Such cheeses vary in water-content from 55 to 70 per cent; in fat from 10 to 25 per cent; in casein from 18 to 25 per cent.
135. Cream cheese.—The Neufchâtel process is also used to make cream cheese. The material utilized is commonly what has been called double cream. This is produced by separating about half of a given volume of milk and running the cream into the other half. Usually cream cheese is made in the same factory as various grades of Neufchâtel. No material is lost. In some instances, cream cheese is prepared by working thick cream into the Neufchâtel type of curd from practically skimmed-milk. In working with high percentages of fat in curd, care must be taken to avoid loss of fat in draining and pressing. The curd is carefully chilled before pressing to reduce this loss. This may be done under refrigeration or upon cracked ice. Otherwise the manipulations of the process are unchanged. The cheeses are commonly molded in the Neufchâtel machine into square cakes weighing about 4 ounces and measuring approximately 3 by 2¼ by ⅞ inches. These are wrapped in paper and tin-foil and handled exactly as Neufchâtel.
Cream cheese of high quality made from reënforced milk testing 7 to 9 per cent fat may be expected to test approximately as follows:[41]
| Water | 38-43 per cent |
| Fat | 43-48 per cent |
| Protein | 13-16 per cent |
| Salt | 0.5-1.25 per cent |
| Yield 16-18 lb. per 100 lb. of cream. | |
Increases of water, hence greater yields, are very common but usually associated with loss in quality both as to flavor and texture, and in more rapid spoilage; certain brands regularly carry 50 to 60 per cent of fat but their increased cost of manufacture and sale restricts them to the rôle of specialties with closely limited distribution. Trade names such as Philadelphia Cream, Cow Brand, Eagle Brand, Square Cream, Blue Label and many other factory brands are on the market.
136. Neufchâtel specialties.—Neufchâtel or cream cheese curd is frequently mixed with some flavoring substance, such as pimiento (pickled Spanish peppers), olives, nuts, spices or other cheeses, such as Roquefort. These bear appropriate trade names and form a very attractive addition to our varieties of cheese. Among the names found are Pimiento, Olive, Nut, and Pim-olive or Olimento.
137. Gervais is a brand of cream cheese made in Paris and sold widely in France and even in other continental countries. It occasionally comes to America. As made in Paris, these cheeses are flat cakes containing approximately 40 per cent water and 35-45 per cent fat. It clearly differs only in detail from the square cream cheeses made in America. The name Gervais is the property of a particular company. Since the cheese differs in no essential feature from other cream cheeses, this name should not be applied to a domestic cream brand.
138. European forms occasionally imported.—Among the cheeses related to Neufchâtel as they reach the market are the "White" cheeses of southern Europe. These differ greatly in quality according to their source and to their content of cow, sheep, goat's milk or some combination of these. This texture and flavor link them with unripened Neufchâtel. The time required for importation puts a minimum possible period of ten to fifteen days between production and consumption with a probable period of at least one month for most samples. As they come to America, these forms usually show fermentive changes beyond those tolerated in the domestic product. This may take either of several forms: (1) intensification of acid flavor with the intensification of the characteristic flavors of the particular brand; (2) the development of old or rancid flavors; (3) the development of Oidium and partial softening of the mass through its agency; (4) the growth of Roquefort mold and development of the flavor associated with that organism. This last form was found in a shipment of Hungarian Briuse which showed about 40 per cent fat, 14 per cent protein and 43 per cent water.