When choosing milk for cheesemaking, it helps to have a basic knowledge of the fundamental makeup of milk and the variations in milk from different animals.
Components Of Milk
Milk is made up of four main components:
- Water is the main ingredient in milk.
- The cheesemaker’s goal is to remove a very large portion of the water content from the milk to make cheese.
- The water content of a finished cheese is the main factor in the shelf life or aging period of that cheese.
- Lactose is a type of sugar found exclusively in milk and is transformed by the cultures you add during the cheesemaking process into lactic acids and carbon dioxide.
- Lipids (or butterfat) are fat globules and small proteins in the milk, which contribute to the opaque white color in milk.
- Sometimes, vitamin-rich lipids will contain carotene, which will cause the milk to look slightly yellow or orange.
- The actual level of butterfat in milk depends on the type of milk and the source animal’s breed, weight, and diet.
- Milk fat is extremely important in the cheesemaking process, as the triglycerides contain 98% of the overall milk fat, and they will be broken down to free some of those fatty acid compounds which help cheese develop to its full flavor potential.
- Proteins in milk consist of whey protein and casein, or milk proteins.
- The most important factor of this duo is the caseins, which will bind together to play a main role in the solidification of the milk during the cheesemaking process.
- Whey proteins are contained in the yellow, watery whey.
Milk From Different Animals
- Most common type of milk used in cheesemaking.
- Has the most developed arsenal of recipes and styles of cheese.
- Around 87% water.
- Fat content between 3.5% and 5%.
- Lactose is usually around 5%.
- Jersey or Guernsey cows make milk that is richer, sweeter, and makes more flavorful cheese than milk from Holsteins.
- Available year-round and in most grocery stores.
- Higher amounts of the enzyme lipase make this a more flavorful milk.
- Around 88% water, 3.9% lactose, and 2.5% proteins.
- Can have a higher fat content than cow's milk, depending on the specific goat breed. Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian goats make especially rich milk, high in butterfat.
- Fat globules within the milk are smaller, and stay suspended in the milk more easily than in cow's milk.
- Richer milk all around, even richer than Jersey cow's milk.
- Around 82% water, 6.5% lipids, 4.5% lactose and 5.5% protein.
- It has been described as golden and fatty, and it can have a bit of a musky sheep flavor.
- Wonderful for rich, decadent cheeses like feta, manchego, and blues. Contains twice as many solids as goat's or cow's milk. The result is very high yields of most cheeses: 2 pounds of soft cheese per gallon of sheep's milk.
- Usually only available seasonally.
Factors Affecting Milk Flavor And Make-Up
There are a few factors that will affect the milk, making the percentages here and the standardized percentages used in cheese formulas vary just a bit:
- Diet of the milk animal
- Breed of the milk animal
- Health of the milk animal
- Milking methods
- Storage methods
- Stage of lactation (how long after calving the milk was produced)
- Time of year
Knowing about the milk you use for cheesemaking projects will help you to produce the best cheese possible.