Certified Cheese Professional Cheese Science & Technology: practice questions

1 · Salting: dry, brine and its effect · medium

How much salt must be dissolved in 1,000 kg of water to make a brine of 20% NaCl (w/w)?

1. 250 kg
2. 800 kg
3. 200 kg
4. 166.7 kg

2 · Coagulants: calf rennet, microbial, fermentation-produced chymosin, plant · medium

Extract of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) flowers is traditionally used as coagulant for:

1. English Cheddar made with calf rennet and dry salting
2. Indian paneer made by heat-acid coagulation of buffalo milk
3. Some Iberian sheep-milk cheeses with a soft, creamy texture
4. Swiss Emmental made from cow's milk with a high cook

3 · Coagulants: calf rennet, microbial, fermentation-produced chymosin, plant · easy

Why is coagulant diluted in cold, chlorine-free water just before it is added to the vat?

1. Chlorine is needed to activate the enzyme, so tap water is preferred
2. Dilution in brine prevents the enzyme from binding to the curd
3. Chlorine and long standing in dilute form inactivate the enzyme
4. Warm dilution water is needed to start the aggregation phase early

4 · Rennet coagulation and gel formation · medium

What is the likely consequence of cutting a rennet gel too early, while it is still weak?

1. A tough gel that traps whey and gives high-moisture cheese
2. No effect on yield, only a slight delay before cooking starts
3. A very dry cheese with higher yield because whey drains faster
4. Shattered curd with more fat and casein fines lost in the whey

5 · Salting: dry, brine and its effect · easy

Which is NOT a function of salt in cheese?

1. Supplying the calcium that firms the curd network
2. Slowing and finally stopping starter activity in the curd
3. Controlling growth of spoilage and pathogenic organisms
4. Drawing whey from the curd and finishing syneresis

6 · Varieties: Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss types, Mozzarella, Parmesan, blue and soft cheeses · medium

Under the U.S. standard of identity, Cheddar must have:

1. No more than 52% moisture and at least 30% fat in dry matter
2. No more than 39% moisture and at least 50% fat in dry matter
3. No more than 39% moisture and at least 50% fat on the whole cheese
4. No more than 45% moisture and at least 40% fat in dry matter

7 · Varieties: Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss types, Mozzarella, Parmesan, blue and soft cheeses · medium

Small eyes in Gouda and Edam are produced mainly by:

1. Air trapped mechanically during dry salting of curd
2. Yeasts on the rind producing gas that diffuses inward
3. Citrate-fermenting mesophilic starter strains producing CO2
4. Propionibacteria held in a warm room at about 22 °C for weeks

8 · Varieties: Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss types, Mozzarella, Parmesan, blue and soft cheeses · medium

Washed-rind (smear) cheeses develop their orange, sticky rind because:

1. Blue mould grows inside the paste and colours the rind as it reaches the surface
2. Propionibacteria ferment lactate at the rind and form a coloured film of propionate
3. Yeasts first raise the surface pH, then coryneform bacteria such as Brevibacterium grow
4. Annatto is added to the brine, and it binds to the rind protein over several weeks

9 · Cheese defects and grading · easy

Late blowing in Gouda and Emmental is caused by:

1. Coliform bacteria fermenting lactose in the first day after the cheese is made
2. Yeasts on the rind fermenting the salt into gas during the brining stage
3. Propionic bacteria producing too many round eyes in the warm ripening room
4. Clostridium tyrobutyricum spores fermenting lactate to butyrate and gas

10 · Cheese defects and grading · medium

Mould growing under the film of vacuum-packed cheese most likely indicates:

1. Too long a pressing time
2. Too much salt in the cheese
3. A coagulant overdose in the cheese vat
4. A leak or pinhole that let air in