A Study of Methods of Making Neufchatel and Cream Cheese to Increase the Keeping Quality

Two methods of approach were open in studying this problem. The first was the elimination of the factors causing spoilage by treatment of the curd subsequent to the draining process. The second was to blend the raw materials to the composition desired in the finished product. This mixture could be treated to render it free from yeasts and then homogenized. In the latter case the draining would be unnecessary and as the desired composition would be already achieved, the cheese could be packaged and directly from the homogenizer. Literature on the subject revealed that work done in this field was mostly by the latter method. Therefore the bulk of work in this study centered on a treatment of the dry curd although one experiment in making a soft cheese without a draining was tried. Before the main problem of keeping quality improvement could be attacked, the problem of making the body and texture of the cheese stable to a heat treatment had to be solved. To this end the first phase of the problem was undertaken and the significant literature was reviewed. Also reviewed were studies on bacteriological defects in Neufchatel and cream cheese. Advisor: H. P. Davi