The diagram illustrates the various stages involved in the industrial production of cheese, beginning with raw milk and ending with the ripened final product ready for consumption.
Overall, cheese making is a multi-step process that involves treating milk, separating curds and whey, and transforming the curds into cheese through molding, pressing, and ripening. The procedure includes both biological and mechanical operations.
In the first stage, raw milk is collected and inoculated with fermenting microorganisms. It then undergoes pasteurization before being subjected to standardization and filtration. Following this, rennet – an enzyme essential for cheese making – is added to the milk to initiate coagulation. This curdling process results in the formation of curds and whey.
Once the whey is drained, the curds are milled and proceed to the salting stage. The salted curds are then poured into molds to achieve the desired shape. The molded curds are pressed to remove additional whey, ensuring a firmer texture. After pressing, the cheese enters the ripening stage, where it is stored for a period of time to develop flavor and consistency.
The final step involves producing ripened cheese, which can then be cut, packaged, and distributed. The diagram also highlights a side branch of the process where fresh varieties such as cottage and cream cheese are produced earlier in the sequence, directly after the initial draining of whey.