Cheese Lab Write Up

Part 1

Purpose: What is the most efficient way to make cheese?

Hypothesis: If we test water, buttermilk, FPC and NBC then FPC will curdle the fastest.

Procedure:
1. Label four 6ml tubes with the type of curdling agent group member.
2. Use a large pipet to transfer 3 ml of milk into each of the 6ml tubes.
3. Use a small pipet and transfer the entire contents of the tubes of fermentation produced
chymosin, natural bovine chymosin or buttermilk to the labeled tube containing the milk. For
water, fill the small transfer pipet to the bottom of the bulb and add to the labeled tube
containing the milk.
4. Cap the tubes and invert the tubes three times and then transfer to 37C water bath or place
at body temperature (armpit) for incubation.
5. Set a timer and check for curdling every 5 minutes, by gently inverting the tube and
examining for curds.
6. Record the time (in minutes) when the milk begins to curdle (small or large lumps) or
solidified.
7. If the milk had not curdled in 30 minutes, check for curdling every hour.
8. In a data table similar to the Data Table 1, record the time (in minutes) when the milk
begins to curdle (small or large lumps) or solidify.
9. Upon return to the lab, during the next work period, determine the amount of curds
produced by each treatment.
10. For each treatment, weigh a paper cone and record the empty cone weight.
11. Transfer the entire contents of a tube into a labeled filter paper cone over a suitable
collection vessel. Once all liquid has drained through, dry the filter paper with curds
overnight.
12. Weigh the dry cone with dry curds. Subtract the dry cone weight. Record the weight of
the curds (in mg) by multiplying the mass in grams by 1000.
13. Repeat with each treatment.
14. Create a data table that reports the Rate of Curd Production (weight/time) by each
Curdling Agent.
15. Create a bar graph that shows the Rate of Curd Production by each Curdling Agent.

Data:
weight of
Curding Time cone and weight of Weight of
group # (min) curds (g) cone curds (g) rate (mg/min) comments
0.027777777
1 1440 1.23 1.19 0.04 78 N/A
2 2880 1.39 1.13 2.6 0.09 N/A
3 1440 1.36 0.94 0.42 0.2917
0.951388888
4 1440 2.5 1.13 1.37 9 N/A
5 1440 2.8 1.15 1.65 1.145833333 N/A
6 25 1.39 1.14 0.24 9.6
average --> 1440 1.778333333 1.113333333 1.053333333 2.017783333

Analysis: This groups data is the data from group 4. One can see that that most of the groups
data seems to be relatively the same which shows that the FPC curdled quickly. There could
have been human errors like measurement errors. The lab could have been improved by
doing further testing or rerunning the tests.

Part 2

Purpose: To find which curdling agent works the fastest and produces the most cheese.

Hypothesis: If we use double the curdling agent then the cheese will curdle faster.

Procedure:
1. Label four 6ml tubes with the type of curdling agent group member.
2. Use a large pipet to transfer 3 ml of milk into each of the 6ml tubes.
3. Use a small pipet and transfer 3x the original amount of each curdling agent into each of
the four tubes. Use a different pipet for each transfer to avoid cross contamination.
4. Cap the tubes and invert the tubes three times and then transfer to 37C water bath or place
at body temperature (armpit) for incubation.
5. Set a timer and check for curdling every 2.5 minutes, by gently inverting the tube and
examining for curds.
6. Record the time (in minutes) when the milk begins to curdle (small or large lumps) or
solidified.
7. If the milk had not curdled in 30 minutes, check for curdling every hour.
8. In a data table similar to the Data Table 1, record the time (in minutes) when the milk
begins to curdle (small or large lumps) or solidify.
9. Upon return to the lab, during the next work period, determine the amount of curds
produced by each treatment.
10. For each treatment, weigh a paper cone and record the empty cone weight.
11. Transfer the entire contents of a tube into a labeled filter paper cone over a suitable
collection vessel. Once all liquid has drained through, dry the filter paper with curds
overnight.
12. Weigh the dry cone with dry curds. Subtract the dry cone weight. Record the weight of
the curds (in mg) by multiplying the mass in grams by 1000.
13. Repeat with each treatment.
14. Create a data table that reports the Rate of Curd Production (weight/time) by each
Curdling Agent.
15. Create a bar graph that shows the Rate of Curd Production by each Curdling Agent.

Data:

Curdling Curdling Weight of Weight of Weight of Rate

agent time (min) cone & cone (g) Curds (g) (mg/min)
curds (g)
Chymosin 5 1.51 1.14 0.37 75
(FPC)
Chymosin 15 1.44 1.15 0.3 20
(NBC)
Buttermilk 25 1.38 1.14 0.24 9.6
Water 1 day 1.4 1.14 0.26 0.1805
(-control)
Analysis: The data table and the graph shows us that the FPC curdles the fastest. One can see
from this that the doubled curdling agent speeds the time that it takes for the cheese to curdle.
The hypothesis is correct. This could lead to investigations to see how fast the cheese could
curdle if more agent was added.

Part 3

Purpose: To find what macromolecules are present in the cheese.

Hypothesis: If we look at our cheese then we will find out what macromolecules are present.

Procedure:Monosaccharide/Glucose
1. Obtain a vial, and place into it a cheese sample that is of the approximate volume of 5mL.
2. Into this vial, pipet 5 mL of Benedict's solution. Mix well.
3. Heat for 2 minutes in a boiling hot water bath (100 mL of water in a 250-mL beaker at 100
degrees celsius)
4. Record all color changes

Polysaccharide/Starch
1. In a test tube, mix 5 mL of cheese sample with 0.625 mL of Lugols iodine.
2. Gently swirl to mix. Do not heat.
3. Record all color changes.

Protein
1. Place 4 mL of a cheese sample in a test tube.
2. Add 1.5mL of Biuret reagent to the test tube.
3. Mix well.
4. Record the color change after 30 seconds.

Lipid
-Paper Test
1. Melt the cheese in a test tube by inserting the vial in a heated water bath.
2. Pour the melted cheese onto a piece of paper.
3. After waiting for the cheese to dry and disperse, hold the paper to light.
4. Record the percentage of translucence.
-Sudan IV Test
1. Add 120 microliters of Sudan IV solution to a 4 mL cheese sample.
2. Gently mix.

3. Record color changes

Data:
Standard Indicator Description/Positive Description/Negative Prescense
used Control/Test Results Control/Test results

Glucose Benedicts Blue-Yellow-Orange Blue YES

Solution

Starch Lugols Black Red NO

Iodine

Protein Biuret Purple Light Blue YES

Reagent
 Fat/lipids Paper Bag Orange Red YES
test/Sudan
IV

Analysis: In all but one we see macromolecules present. This means that the hypothesis is
correct.

Conclusion: the purpose of this lab was to discover the best way to create cheese in the
fastest way, producing the most product. This lab contained three major parts. The first tested
which agent would work the fastest, the second part tested what would happen if the dosage
of the curdling agent was doubled and the third tested the macromolecules present in the
cheese. The data shows that for part one, FPC curdled the fastest and was the most efficient.
In part two the data showed that the doubling of the dosage did in fact speed up the process.
In the third part, macromolecules were present.