Liquid milk from cows, buffalo, and goat, is the basic raw
material of cheesemaking. Dairy cows, or other mammals, convert fodder (grass, hay, grain,
etc.) into milk. The animals are then milked by machines or in some hand made Artisan
cheese, by hand. Unlike condensing milk through evaporation, cheese is made by
adding a culture or enzyme such as rennet, and in some cases, heat and fermenting the milk
until it is transformed into a semi-solid mass of "curd" that is cut by a
cheese comb or harp to eliminate a certain amount of the protein rich liquid called whey.
Fermentation is a process by which a carbohydrate, in this case lactaise or milk
sugar, is changed (broken down) into lactic acid mainly by means of bacteriological
activity. Fermentation is a source of energy providing the basis for the reproduction and
maintenance of different types of bacteria. This process affects the character of the
final cheese produced.
A secondary fermentation is often induced or furthered to achieve certain
specific properties as in the case of ripened cheese. Such secondary fermentation occurs
without a breakdown of milk sugar, but with a breakdown of amino acids, fatty acids, etc.,
instead.
