Cheesemaker’s apprentice: study of the influence of the type of rennet in the production of goat milk cheeses from Can Pauet

Abstract

Life on the farm is not as simple as could be imagined. Caring for animals requires daily effort and hard work. Apart from feeding, grazing and looking after livestock, the main purpose of many livestock farms is to obtain dairy products for their sale. After spending a day on a goat and sheep farm, and watching closely all the processes involved, I proposed to make a further study of the production of dairy products. The aim of this project was to determine whether the type of rennet used in cheese production causes variations in the product obtained. To do this, I made cheeses using three types of rennet: one of animal origin, another of vegetable origin, and a handmade vegetable rennet prepared ad hoc. Then I compared them. The first part of this paper describes the most significant aspects of farm life and the principles of cheesemaking. The test with the three types of rennet shows clear differences between the cheeses obtained, highlighting the efficiency of the industrial rennet as compared to those handmade.

Keywords: goat and sheep farm, livestock, rennet, cheese, coagulation.