Certified Cheese Professional Practice Exam

Coagulation in cheese making primarily results from which two actions?

1. Evaporation and cooling

2. Fermentation and enzyme clotting

3. Heating and cooling

4. Separation and concentration

The correct answer is: Fermentation and enzyme clotting

Coagulation in cheese making is a critical step that involves transforming liquid milk into a solid mass, resulting in curds that will eventually be turned into cheese. The primary actions leading to coagulation include fermentation and enzyme clotting. Fermentation occurs when lactic acid bacteria are introduced to the milk, converting lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid. This increase in acidity helps to lower the pH of the milk, which is essential for the coagulation process. As the acidity rises, it causes the milk proteins, primarily casein, to destabilize and precipitate out of the liquid whey, forming curds. Simultaneously, enzyme clotting is typically achieved through the addition of rennet, an enzyme complex that contains rennin (or chymosin). Rennet works by specifically targeting casein proteins, leading to their coagulation and further aiding in the formation of curds. The combination of these two actions—fermentation and enzyme clotting—creates the environment necessary for effective coagulation and is a fundamental principle of cheesemaking. The other options do not accurately capture the coagulation process. Evaporation and cooling, heating and cooling, or separation and concentration focus on different aspects of cheese production that occur after