Part 3
READING PASSAGE 3
The process of cheesemaking
When it comes to cheese we are spoilt for choice. From the milder cheeses such as Gouda and Emmental to the more pungent-tasting blue cheeses such as Danish Blue and Stilton, all tastes are catered for. Whilst cheeses may vary greatly in taste and texture, they are all manufactured following the same 6-stage cheesemaking process: acidification, coagulation, separating curds and whey, salting, shaping and ripening. There is more than an element of art in this process, however, since cheesemakers will temper the process according to their own senses of sight, touch and smell.
In the first stage, milk is inoculated with lactic acid bacteria. The purpose of the lactic bacteria is to convert milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acid in what is known as the acidification process.
Next, a substance that is known as rennet, which is obtained from the stomach lining of ruminants (or Cud-chewing herbivores, like cows), is used in the coagulation process causing milk protein to solidify. Rennet contains the active enzyme, rennin, and it is this enzyme that acts on the milk protein caseinogen to turn it into an insoluble milk protein known as casein. Since casein is insoluble, it precipitates out of the milk as a gel-like substance or curd, which contains milk solids, fats and proteins. The lactic acid added earlier on in the process facilitates the curdling process. As casein precipitates out from milk, forming curds, the watery substance left surrounding the curds is known as whey.
In the following stage, the insoluble curds are removed from the whey in the separation process. The curds are then removed and cut. Cutting encourages the curds to expel further liquid or whey, making them more solid as a result. Harder cheeses like Cheddar and Gruyere are created by being cut into small pieces. Conversely, softer cheeses like Camembert and Brie are hardly cut, creating a much softer texture.
Salt is then added to the cheese and serves a dual purpose both as flavour enhancer and preservative. It is important to preserve the cheese to avoid spoiling during long months or years of ageing cheese to produce a more mature flavour. How salt is added is up to the cheesemaker. Cheese may be fully immersed in a vat of brine, or salt may be rubbed onto the cheese rind. Another option is to add salt in the actual cheesemaking process itself.
Once the cheese is fully formed, it next has to be shaped. The cheese is placed into a basket or mould that will form the cheese into a specific shape. During this process any remaining liquid is removed by applying weights to the cheese to squeeze out the excess liquid.
Finally the cheese is left to ripen or age until it reaches its optimal ripeness. Close monitoring of the temperature where the cheese is stored is vital at this stage, otherwise the cheese will not develop the proper flavour and texture. According to the cheese being manufactured, the cheese will be subject to different processes at this stage. Mould is added to Brie cheeses by spray and by injection into blue cheeses. Other cheeses will need to be turned whilst others to be brushed with oil or washed with brine and alcohol.
Questions 29-32
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In boxes 29-32 on your answer sheet, write
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TRUE. |
if the statement agrees with the information |
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FALSE. |
if the statement contradicts the information |
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NOT GIVEN. |
If there is no information on this |
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29.TRUEFALSENOT GIVEN Cheesemaking doesn’t just rely on purely scientific methods.
30.TRUEFALSENOT GIVEN Solids are initially separated from liquids through a mechanical process.
31.TRUEFALSENOT GIVEN Whey contains dissolved milk solids.
32.TRUEFALSENOT GIVEN Harder cheeses need more maturation than soft cheeses.
Questions 33-40
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet.
The Production Process
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Lactic acid bacteria are first added to milk to change milk lactose to lactic acid. Rennet is then added. Its active enzyme, rennin, 33 caseinogen, a milk protein. As a result, the protein, casein, is formed. Being 34 in water, casein precipitates out of the milk, forming curds. Left behind after the curds have been removed is 35 termed whey. After separation from the whey, the curd is cut in order 36 excess water. Addition of salt has 37 acting as a preservative and to add flavour. Next the cheese is 38 by being placed into a suitable container. In order to achieve 39 the cheese is left to mature. Before the cheese is ready it may undergo 40 to achieve the desired result. |
Answer Keys:
