MANUFACTURING OF MOZZARELLA Introduction Mozzarella is one of the fastest-growing cheeses in popularity worldwide, mainly due to its extensive use in pizzas or salads. Strictly speaking, it must be made from buffalo’s milk; however, throughout the world cow’s milk is used. Mozzarella is a hand-made, fresh cheese, to be consumed within a week or two. Very often it is vacuum-packed, which extends its shelf-life to several weeks. Mozzarella is a pasta filata cheese, which may look like fresh white curd just squeezed into shape, but in fact it’s intensively processed. The maker of the cheese has to pull the curd about, stretch it like old-fashioned ‘taffy’, knead it, pummel it, dip it into hot whey and pull it into long strings. Mozzarella should be fresh, clean and chalky white, its meltability makes it the ideal cheese to top a pizza. The flavour of Mozzarella cheese should not be strong enough to mask the flavour of mushrooms, olives or tomatoes. Mozzarella may be made into different shapes: loaf-shaped, balls (tiny milky balls called Bocconcini), blocks, plaits etc. For Mozzarella cheese of a good quality one must keep in mind the following points: • The milk must be of a good bacteriological quality. If milk of a higher fat content is used then the Mozzarella will not grate easily. • The milk must not contain any antibiotics or cleaning agents because it influences the growth of the bacteria. • Not necessary for the milk to be pasteurized before the time, as Mozzarella cheese manufacturing involves a pasteurization step at a later stage. A culture must be used that contains lactic acid bacteria. The bacteria ferments the lactose in the milk and forms lactic acid. Rennet is used as a coagulating enzyme and is available in a powder or liquid form. • All apparatus used must be cleaned beforehand with water and soap and then rinsed with boiling water. A sterilizing agent may also be used (e.g. Jik or Milton) to destroy any traces of bacteria that may have been present. Rinse all apparatus with hot water after using the sterilizing agents. Equipment and ingredients • Raw milk (amount depending on amount of cheese desired, 10 l milk produces +/- 1.3 kg cheese), starter culture (TM 81/TM 82 is recommended), coagulating enzyme (rennet), calcium chloride (powder that is added to increase the calcium content in the milk), salt (non iodized), tartaric or citric acid. • Pot made of stainless steel or enamel (size depends on the amount of milk processed). • Stove (gas or electrical) or microwave. • A thermometer, plastic container (e.g. washbasin or sink) or a cooler-box that can be used to keep the temperature constant at 35-40 °C. • Ice-water/refrigerator, kettle. • Large stainless steel spoon, large knife, plastic jug, 2 wooden sticks or spoons, container that can hold 5 l hot water, pH paper, 2 l ice-cream buckets or any plastic mould. Method 1. Pour raw milk into the stainless steel or enamel pot. The pot must be rinsed with boiling hot water before the time. 2. Dissolve +/- ¼ teaspoon of calcium chloride in 50 ml tap water. Add this mixture to the raw milk. Stir with the stainless steel spoon that has been dipped in boiling water. 3. Place the pot on the stove and heat to +/- 35 °C, stirring continuously. 4. Add the culture (4 large granules to 10 l milk). Stir thoroughly to disperse the culture. 5. Leave the milk undisturbed for 1 h, the temperature has to be checked regularly, if the temperature drops, then heat may be applied. Don’t allow the temperature to go below 35 °C during this hour. 6. Dissolve the rennet (0.2 g for every 10 l of milk used) in a small amount of cold water. Add to milk, mix thoroughly and leave for 45 min until a firm coagulant has formed. Do not disturb the milk during this period. The temperature must be constant at 35 °C. 7. Test the coagulant (cut into the milk and lift it from the bottom, if it lifts like jelly then it is ready, if it is still too soft then wait another 15 min). 8. Cut the coagulant in large blocks of +/- 5 cm by 5 cm and mix slowly. If the temperature has dropped, apply heat to the mixture. Heat the mixture up to 40 °C. 9. Leave for +/- 2½ h. The temperature must not drop below 40 °C during this time. 10. Take off +/- half of the whey (5 l whey). The pH must be 5.8-6.0 before whey can be taken off. 11. Wait another 30 min. Take the pH of the curd – it must be 5.2 for it to be ready to be stretched. Then take the rest of the whey off. 12. Pack the curd pieces on top of each other so that they may stay warm. Pour +/- 5 l of water into a pot and apply heat (temperature must be 72 °C). Alternatively boil the kettle. This water is used for the stretching phase of the Mozzarella. This step also serves as the pasteurization step. 13. Cut a small piece of the curd and place it into the hot water for 1 min. Stretch the curd at both ends if it breaks in the middle then leave for another 5 min in the pot with all the curd pieces. The warm temperature will allow more acid development to take place. When the curd is ready to be stretched the pH is 5.2. The curd must be tested every 5 min in the hot water (72 °C) until it stretches and does not break in the middle i.e. it must look like bread dough. 14. When the curd is ready to be stretched, cut all of the curd pieces into small blocks and place it into the hot water (72 °C). Leave for 5 min. Press the curd to the bottom of the pot, so that it may mat together. Then use the two wooden spoons or sticks to remove the curd from the warm water and stretch the curd and work it like dough. After stretching 5 or 6 times, take the curd with your hands and place it into a 2 l ice-cream bucket. A typical characteristic will be the formation of a chicken breast appearance. If the handling of the curd burns your hands, place your hands in the ice-water for 1 min prior to stretching. Alternatively the curd may be divided into 3 sections, i.e. 3 strings of curd, place all 3 strings on a table and plait each string until you form a ‘braid’. The cheese may also be formed into small balls and may be placed into olive oil. 16. Make up a brine solution (use tap water with 25 % salt added, i.e. 2.5 kg salt to 10 l water). The pH of the brine must be between pH 5.0 and pH 5.3. 17. Place the cheese in the brine solution for 16 h. 18. Take the cheese out of the brine and place on the rack to dry overnight. 19. This type of cheese may be eaten immediately or may be left for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. If the cheese is not going to be consumed immediately it is advisable to cover it with cling wrap, to prevent the cheese from drying out.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 08:57:33 +0000
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