The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-08-29
The Moisture Test
in the Cheese Factory

iron ana the QlSneS, ana small I'LL
cups or patty pans are inverted over
the moisture test dishes for their pro-
lection in this case.
Setting up the Steam Oven. The
steam oven may be placed at any con-
venient point in the factory which is
we'll lighted and not exposed to flying
dust. The upper opening is connected
through a valve to steam pipe from
the boiler. The lower opening is con-
nected through a valve with a drain
pipe extending downward BY opening
the upper valve entirely and the lower
valve Slightly, the oven is kept under
full boiler pressure. The condensed
water (and very little steam) must
be allowed to escape all the time while
the oven is in use. The oven may be
drained when not in use in order to
avoid freezing. The temperature of
high-pressure steam is dependent on
its pressure, as shown by the follow
which samples are exposed inside the
oven are slightly lower than these
figures.
Gauge pressure, lbs
24O 259 274 2S6 297 307 316 1923 331
Temperature, F.
10 20 80 40 Sc 60 70 80 80
The inside of the oven should be kept
clean, preferably enameled or painted,
and free from rust or dirt which, if
present might fall into the moisture
samples while they are drying.
Moisture Test Dishes. Aluminium
dishes, inches in diameter and q
inch deep, such as are commonly used
in butter testing, may also be used
with cheese. In a laboratory where it
is often desired to put as many sam
pies of cheese as possible into the
steam oven at one time, smaller tin
dishes, 2 inches in diameter and 5s
inch deep, such as druggists use for
Ointments can be bought by the dozen.
The tin dishes have lids which are use
full as protection to the samples be-
fore and after heating, where many
samples are tested daily, but when
only few dishes are used the lids
may be discarded. Dish numbers
should be stamped Or scratched dis
tinctly on each dish, or on the lids
only if interchangeable lids are used
Cheese Sample Bottles. In sampling
a number of cheeses in the warehouse
or curing room, it is best to drop the
samples plugs, as soon as drawn, in
to clean, dry sample bottles, where
they can be kept without drying out
until weighed for the moisture test.
Each bottle is covered Immediately
and the number of the cheese is writ
ten with a pencil on the rough surface
of the bottle or cover. The bottles may
be the common 4-ounce, wide-mouthed
glass stoppered, tall form, to hold
are to be sent to a distance, as in the
mail, glass bottles with cork-lined,
metal screw caps are preferable.
How to Avoid High Moisture in
American Cheese.
No one need make cheese containing
over 40 per cent of moisture unless
he is willing to do so
The most common cause of too
moist" cheese is too great haste in it's
manufacture. Canadian export cheese
containing "a to SO per cent of moist
ure are commonly made in to 7
hours time from setting to hopping,
and Wisconsin southern trade cheese
containing 81 to SO per cent moisture
usually require at least to hours
Some makers in the past have inten-
tionally cut the time down to 21b
Or 3 hours to produce cheese with AZ
per cent or more moisture, which is
now prohibited by the Wisconsin law.
With over-ripe milk, the making
process must necessarily be hurried
but the proper remedy is to refuse
oyer-ripe milk, and teach patrons to
take proper care of milk on the farm
Other conditions being equal, cheese
made from unripened milk with little
OR no starter always carries more
moisture than if starter had been
properly used. The remedy in such
cases is to begin using starter.
By gradually changing the method
OF manufacture as suggested, and at
the same time testing each days pro-
duct for maisture, the system of max
ing cheese can readily be regulated at
any factory so as to produce cheese OF
a lawful moisture content.