EntrePinoys Atbp.

1. Soft White Cheese or “Kesong Puti”

Materials:

• Coagulant-rennet, either the commercial or the localy prepared rennet.
• fresh carabao’s milk
• table salt
• casseroles
• framed meshwire
• tin coagulum scooper – about 12.7 to 15.24 cm length and width should be 3/4 of the diameter of cheese moulds. Both end should have round corners and slightly bended in the scooping end.
• cheese cloth for straining
• cheese moulds or “hulmahan” made of tin can or plastic from motor oil containers. Height should not exceed 7.62 cm.
• thermometer
• aluminum ladle and waxpaper for stirring the milk and wrapping cheese.

Procedure:

1. Determine the weight or volume of milk. Predetermination of milk volume will enable one to estimate the amount of salt and rennet extract to be mixed Yield of cheese can also be determined.

2. Calculate the required amount of salt. Salt requirement is 2 to 3% of the weight of the milk or 2 table spoonful of salt per liter of milk.

3. Add and dissolve the salt in milk.

4. With cheese cloth, strain the salted cheese milk to remove all extraneous matter.

5. Pasteurize the milk in a double boiler at 72°C for 5 minutes. If thermometer is not available, observe the formation of a thin film on the surface of milk and cover. It this film is observed, stir the milk and cover.

Reduce the fire and after 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the volume, remove the milk from the stove. Hold the milk without stirring for 10 minutes. After holding this, transfer the casserole to a holder with cold or iced water to hasten the cooling of milk. If the milk is to be processed right away, cooling should be stopped when temperature is between 40 to 45°C. If to be processed the following day, the milk must be cooled to a temperature not higher than 15°C. Avoid overheating.

6. Add coagulant (rennet extract). When commercial rennet is used, the amount needed should be three to four times more than the recommended amount. When the locally prepared rennet extract is used, add about 3 to 4 teaspoonful of the prepared rennet per liter of salted milk. The correct amount of rennet has been attained if milk coagulates 15 to 25 minutes after adding the extract.

The temperature of milk should be about 38°C at the time of adding the rennet. After adding the rennet, the milk should be stirred slowly for 2 minutes. The milk should then be covered and left in a clean place to form coagulum.

7. Prepare the cheese moulder by sterilization. Set-up the materials such as moulders, cheese cloth, framed mesh wire and the whey catcher.

8. Scoop the coagulum in thin slides of not more than 1 cm. This facilitates efficient draining and contributes to the firmness of the texture of soft cheese.

9. Allow the cheese to drain whey for 6 hours. After draining time, the cheese must have shrunk ¾ to ½ of its original size.

Failure to attain the degree of shrinkage, is possibly caused by the following:

• a. The milk is contaminated by coliform bacteria after pasteurization which grew in the process.
• b. Rennet used is not enough.
• c. Renneting temperature is below 35°C
• d. The cheese cloth must have been very thick.
• e. Slices is thicker than one centimeter.
• f. The milk may contain adulterants than added water.
• g. Combination of the above.

10. After draining, wrap the cheese with the waxpaper. Handlers of cheese must thoroughly wash hands with soap and water.

All materials used in the process should be properly washed and sterilized. Casseroles should be scrubbed thoroughly and rinsed with half-liter of water to one table spoonful of chlorox.

2. Pastillas de Leche

Materials:

• fresh carabao’s milk
• sugar
• pan and ladle
• cup
• bondpaper or Japanese paper
• heated corn starch or flour

Procedure:

1. Heat the pan and pour one liter of fresh carabao’s milk.
2. Add 1-1/2 cup of sugar
3. Bring the milk to a boil and stir till it thickens
4. Then roll on a clean, dry board sprinkled with heater corn starch or flour and cut into the desired size.
5. Wrap the pastillas in bond paper or Japanese paper.

Table of Contents

• Introduction, The Breeds
• Reproductive Physiology, Nutrient Requirements
• Care and Management
• Training, Fattening, Ranch Management
• Pasture and Herd Health Management
• Common Infectious Diseases
• Marketing and Financing
• Processing and Utilization
• Carabeef Popular Recipes
• Kesong Puti, Pastillas de Leche
• Skin Preservation, Parts of Body

For more information, contact:

Livestock Division
Department of Agriculture
Regional Field Unit No. VII
M. Velez St., Cebu City

The publication of this guide was made possible through the Livestock Division of DA-RFU-VII.  – Eduardo B. Lecciones, Jr., Regional Executive Director

photo from bucaio.blogspot.com, marketmanila.com