UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 
 
 BERKELEY 4, CALIFORNIA 
 
 GOATS-MILK CHEESE 
 
 C. A. PHILLIPS" 
 
 Almost any variety of cheese made from cow's 
 milk may also be made from goat's milk. The re- 
 sulting cheese will possess, however, certain new 
 characteristics, chiefly because the goat's milk 
 is whiter (fig. l) and has a different mineral 
 content. 
 
 of undesirable flavors at a curing temperature 
 of 60°. If milk is to be held longer than 1 
 hour before setting, it should be cooled rapidly 
 to 50° or lower — temperatures that do not favor 
 the growth of bacteria. It may also be pasteur- 
 ized to destroy undesirable organisms and to make 
 
 Fig. 1. — The cut surface shows the white color and 
 close texture of Romano cheese. 
 
 Readers not already familiar with the princi- 
 ples of making cheese with cow's milk would do 
 well to consult a publication on this subject. 2 
 
 Production of the Milk 
 
 Care should be taken to produce milk of high 
 quality. The chief requisites of milk ready for 
 the cheese vats are desirable flavor, low acidity, 
 freedom from extraneous material, and absence of 
 undesirable bacteria. Though all these are im- 
 portant, the presence of objectionable bacteria 
 seems to cause the most difficulty in cheese mak- 
 ing and curing. Gas-forming types often gain en- 
 trance into the milk — from the animals, from the 
 feed during milking, or from utensils not proper- 
 ly sterilized. They multiply rapidly in warm 
 milk at 70° to 100° F, the range of temperature 
 within which the cheese is made. They will also 
 cause "huffing" of the cheese and the development 
 
 Associate in Dairy Industry and Associate in 
 the Experiment Station. 
 
 information for the beginner is contained in: 
 Greaves, Vera D. , and Katharine E. Bennitt. Home 
 cheese making. 4 p. Agricultural Extension Serv- 
 ice, Univ. Calif. Berkeley, Calif. 1943. 
 
 a more uniform cheese. Pasteurize at 140° to 
 145° , hold the milk for 30 minutes , and then cool 
 it to the setting temperature. 
 
 White Goat's-Milk Cheese 
 
 Of the hard varieties, granular and Romano 
 (white goat's-milk cheese) are desirable ones to 
 make. Up to the time of salting, the two are 
 made in the same way. Liquid rennet may be used 
 in both, although rennet paste is preferable in 
 Romano. In small-scale manufacture, rennet tab- 
 lets may be used. These products may be pur- 
 chased from leading dairy-supply companies. The 
 use of starter (as discussed in publications on 
 cow's-milk cheese) is advisable. 
 
 Method of Making 
 
 Liquid rennet is diluted 1 to 40 in pure, 
 cold water. Enough is added to the milk at 88° 
 to 90° F to obtain a firm coagulation in 30 min- 
 utes. Rennet paste, if used instead, is added 
 to the water, mixed until completely suspended, 
 and filtered through layers of cheesecloth and 
 
 [1] 
 
absorbent cotton to remove extraneous matter. 
 With 100 pounds of milk, 12 cubic centimeters of 
 concentrated rennet (measured before dilution) 
 will be needed; or 1 ounce of rennet paste may- 
 be used instead. 
 
 The curd is cut into cubes (l/4 to 1/2 inch) , 
 and sufficient heat is applied to firm the curd 
 and to give proper moisture content in the cheese. 
 Heating slowly to 100° F and holding at ■ that tem- 
 perature for 1 hour should suffice. 
 
 After firming of the curd, the whey and curd 
 are cooled to about 86° F, and then the whey is 
 drawn off. The curd is stirred at intervals to 
 keep it in granular form. When it is suffici- 
 ently dry (after 15 to 30 minutes) coarse salt 
 is added — 3 per cent by weight for granular 
 cheese, and 2 per cent for Romano. 'When the 
 salt has dissolved, the curd i's placed in hoops 
 and pressed for several hours. After being taken 
 from the press, Romano cheese is rubbed on the 
 outside with dry salt every third day until it 
 contains about 6 per cent of salt (by weight). 
 The total period required is about 3 weeks. 
 
 Granular cheese, whether bandaged or not, 
 when sufficiently dry on the surfaces is dipped 
 in hot paraffin at 220° F, or in special wax 
 according to directions of the manufacturer. 
 Romano cheese is rubbed with a mixture of cotton- 
 seed oil and black pepper. (In small-scale manu- 
 facture, olive oil or other vegetable oils may 
 be used.) 
 
 Curing the Cheese 
 
 Granular cheese is cured for 2 to 3 months at 
 about 60° F in a moderately moist curing room, 
 with some air circulation. 
 
 Romano cheese is cured in much the same way, 
 but for 6 to 12 months and at 50° to 60° F, 
 preferably in cellars or cool buildings without 
 .aechanical refrigeration (fig. 2). 'The applica- 
 tion of oil and pepper' must be continued at in- 
 tervals (about every 3 weeks) to minimize mold 
 growth and to prevent the cheese from drying out- 
 and cracking in the surfaces. 
 
 Soft Cheese 
 
 Neufchatel is a desirable variety of soft 
 cheese. The goat's 'milk is pasteurized at 145° 
 F for 30 minutes and then cooled to 72°. Starter 
 or cultured buttermilk is added, 35 cubic centi- 
 meters (1-1/6 ounces) for each 100 pounds of 
 milk. A little liquid rennet is desirable — 
 about 2-1/2 cubic centimeters to 100 pounds of 
 milk. 
 
 After 12 to 16 hours the coagulation should 
 be sufficient , and a thin layer of whey may be 
 present on the surface. The whey should taste 
 sour. 
 
 The curd is then dipped into sterile cloths, 
 is drained in a cool room, and may also be 
 pressed. It is salted to taste and may be eaten 
 immediately. 
 
 A Cheese-Whey Product 
 
 Low-acid whey from granular or Romano cheese 
 may be boiled down to make a brownish-colored 
 product known as whey cheese (Primost or Mysost). 
 Whey from Neufchatel is too high in acidity for 
 this purpose. 
 
 Whey contains about 7 per cent of solids, 5 
 per cent being milk sugar, and the remaining 2 
 per cent largely milk protein and minerals. It 
 is high in riboflavin, one of the essential vita- 
 mins. 
 
 After being boiled down to the consistency of 
 very thick sirup, the product is cooled, being 
 agitated to give a smooth texture. It may be 
 enriched with a little cream. After solidifica- 
 tion it can be sliced and may be eaten immedi- 
 ately. 
 
 Fig. 
 
 2. --Romano cheese on the curing 
 shelves. 
 
 [2] 
 
 5m-May, '44(429)