Currently, when delivering milk, a screening test for the presence of bacteria is carried out, which identifies the existence or not of mammites. If the milk contains bacteria, it is rejected. After delivery of the milk, the jugs/tanks are washed with hot water and high pressure, to prevent the proliferation of bacteria in the containers.
In the past, milk was heated in vats. These vats were small and had two bottoms: in the lower bottom, hot water was placed, which would heat the milk contained in the upper bottom so that it could begin to coagulate. The temperature, in this process, was controlled with a thermometer, so that it was between 30 and 35 degrees and the coagulation process began after the introduction of the rennet. After adding the rennet, the whey from the previous manufacture is added and the coagulation process begins. This process would last around an hour and the amount of rennet was calculated according to the number of liters of milk to be processed. Currently, with the exception of the feature of increasing temperature through steam, the process remains unchanged.
In the past, this process was done manually, in which, firstly, the curd was cut with your hands and, later, during the coagulation process, a fork was introduced to complete the work. The entire process took about three hours. Currently, the cutting is carried out mechanically, starting with the use of lyres that cut the curd and then the paddles stir the resulting mass. The entire process takes approximately three hours.
The temperature is controlled with a thermometer. To make curd, the temperature required is 30 degrees, and for cheese it is increased to 35 degrees. After three hours, the serum can be removed. Then, it is necessary to measure the acidity, using soda and phenophthalein. To measure acidity, the serum is placed in a sample bottle, in which phenophtlein and soda are mixed.
Once the coagulation process is complete, the salt is added. The resulting whey is removed from the vat and returned to the farmers, who use it to feed their calves and pigs. The curd is placed in cinches, into which white cotton cloths are previously inserted, the function of which is to facilitate the compaction of the curd in the molds and to be more easily removed from the cinches. This prevents the cheese from having cracks and grooves in the crust, since, at this 48-hour stage, the curd still has little consistency.
After the first 48 hours in the press, to remove the whey that is still in the curd, the cheese is transferred to the curing room, where it remains for around 30 days. During this time, the cheese is turned manually every day, in order to maintain its shape without defects. It is during this period that polyol is applied - a product used to control fungi that develop during the curing process. Subsequently, the cheese is transferred to a conservation room, where it remains until it goes through the tasting process and is finally sold. Also during this period, it is mechanically turned once a month. Before being sold, it is cleaned of any fungi it may have, this process being carried out by manual scraping with knives.
