Hygiene in Cheesemaking: A Professional Guide Cleanliness and hygiene in cheesemaking—and in the entire food production process—are absolutely essential. If we buy milk from a farmer, we have no control over milking hygiene, which is the main factor determining whether pasteurization is necessary. You can find post about pasteurisation on this blog. Even raw milk free from unwanted bacteria can become contaminated during transport or while being poured into a pot or kettle. When making cheese, you want it to turn out perfectly. No matter how good the recipe is, if your equipment, workspace, or hands are not impeccably clean, your cheese has a high chance of becoming contaminated. Potential contaminants include Salmonella , Listeria monocytogenes , Escherichia coli , and spores of Clostridium tyrobutyricum —the latter cannot be destroyed by pasteurization. Maintaining a Clean Work Area If you have a dedicated cheesemaking facility, you likely already know how to manage hygiene. But...
Salt in Cheesemaking The salting of cheese has not only the purpose of enhancing its flavor but also significantly affects the ripening and preservation of the cheese. Salt content at a level of 1-2% significantly inhibits unwanted microflora. During the salting of cheese, salt penetrates the interior while removing a certain amount of moisture. This is usually about 4-6% for hard cheeses and even twice as much for soft cheeses. For cheese, we use non-iodized salt because iodine affects the fermentation process and kills bacteria and fungi. In table salt, the iodine content ranges from 30mg to 40mg per 1kg of salt. It is not a large amount, and most likely, we will not kill all the bacteria that are still working at this stage. However, considering that non-iodized salt is readily available, it doesn't make sense to find out firsthand whether there will be problems with ripening or not. The reasons for salting cheeses are: ...