John Kosta

Stem 4
11/1/17
Cheese Lab Write Up
Purpose:
Section 1: The purpose of the first section was to see which curdling agent worked best in the
process of creating cheese from milk. We tested four curdling agents including Chymosin(FPC),
Chymosin(NCB), Buttermilk, and the natural bacteria in the milk(Water). We tested how much
time it took for the milk to curdle and the amount of cheese that resulted from this.
Section 2: The purpose of the second section was to then change a single variable from the first
lab and see the effect the changed variable has on the cheese making process.
Section 3: The purpose of the third section was to test the cheese we created to see what it was
made of. We tested the cheese to see if it contained fat, protein, starch, and sugar.

Hypothesis:
Section 1: If we use all four curdling agents to create cheese from milk, then the milk with the
FPC agent will curdle the fastest.
Section 2: If we test chocolate milk (instead of the regular whole milk) still with the FPC agent,
then the chocolate milk will curdle slower than the whole milk.
Section 3: If we test the cheese we created to see if it contains protein, fat, starch, and sugar;
then we will find that cheese contains fat and protein.

Procedure:
Section 1:
1. Label four 6ml tubes with the type of curdling agent and group number.
2. Use a large pipet to transfer 3ml of milk into each of the 6ml tubes.
3. Use a small pipet and transfer the entire contents of the tubes of fermentation produced
chymosin, natural bovine chymosin or buttermilk to the labeled tube containing the milk.
For water, fill the small transfer pipet tube to the bottom of the bulb and add to the
labeled tube containing the milk. Use a different pipet for each transfer to avoid cross
contamination.
4. Cap the tubes and invert the tubes three times and then transfer to 37 C water bath or
place at body temperature for incubation.
5. Set a timer and check for curdling every 5 minutes, by gently inverting the tube and
examining for curds.
6. Record the time (mins) when the milk begins to curdle.
7. If the milk doesn't curdle in 30 minutes, check for curdling every hour.
8. In a data table similar to Data Table 1, record the time when the milk begins to curdle.
9. Upon return to the lab, during the next work period, determine the amount of curds
produced by each treatment.
10. For each treatment, weigh a paper cone and record the empty cone weight.
11. Transfer the entire contents of the tube onto a labeled filter paper cone over a collection
vessel. Once all liquid has drained through, dry the filter paper with the curds overnight.
 12. Weigh the dry cone with the dry curds. Subtract dry cone weight. Record the weight of
the curds in mg by multiplying the weight in grams x 1,000.
13. Repeat with each treatment.
14. Create a data table that reports the rate of curd production (weight/time) by each
curdling agent.
15. Create a bar graph that shows the rate of curd production
Section 2:
1. Label two 6ml tubes with the type of curdling agent and group number.
2. Use a large pipet to transfer 3ml of whole milk into one of the 6ml tubes and use a new
large pipet to transfer 3ml of chocolate milk into the other 6ml tube.
3. Use a small pipet and transfer the entire contents of the tubes of fermentation produced
chymosin to the labeled tube containing the whole milk. Use a small pipet and transfer
the entire contents of the tubes of fermentation produced chymosin to the labeled tube
containing the chocolate milk.
4. Cap the tubes and invert the tubes three times and then transfer to 37 C water bath or
place at body temperature for incubation.
5. Set a timer and check for curdling every 5 minutes, by gently inverting the tube and
examining for curds.
6. Record the time (mins) when the milk begins to curdle.
7. If the milk doesn't curdle in 30 minutes, check for curdling every hour.
8. In a data table similar to Data Table 1, record the time when the milk begins to curdle.
9. Upon return to the lab, during the next work period, determine the amount of curds
produced by each treatment.
10. For each treatment, weigh a paper cone and record the empty cone weight.
11. Transfer the entire contents of the tube onto a labeled filter paper cone over a collection
vessel. Once all liquid has drained through, dry the filter paper with the curds overnight.
12. Weigh the dry cone with the dry curds. Subtract dry cone weight. Record the weight of
the curds in mg by multiplying the weight in grams x 1,000.
13. Repeat with each treatment.
14. Create a data table that reports the rate of curd production (weight/time) by each type of
milk.
15. Create a bar graph that shows the rate of curd production
Section 3:
1. Monosaccharide Indicator Test
a. Test for glucose. In a test tube, mix 2 ml of a 2% glucose solution with 2 ml of
Benedicts solution. Heat for 2 minutes in a boiling hot water bath (100 ml of
water in a 250 ml beaker at 100 C) Record all color changes and the length of
time for each color to appear.
b. Test for negative control. In a test tube, mix 2 ml of deionized water with 2 ml of
Benedicts solution. Heat for 2 minutes in a boiling hot water bath (100 ml of
water in a 250 ml beaker at 100 C) Record all color changes and the length of
time for each color to appear.
c. Test for cheese. In a test tube, mix crushed up cheese powder with 2 ml of
Benedicts solution. Heat for 2 minutes in a boiling hot water bath (100 ml of
 water in a 250 ml beaker at 100 C) Record all color changes and the length of
time for each color to appear.
2. Starch Indicator Test
a. Test for starch. In a test tube, mix 2 ml of well mixed starch suspension with 0.25
ml of Lugols iodine. Gently swirl to mix. DO NOT HEAT. Record the color
change.
b. Test for negative control. In a test tube, mix 2 ml of deionized water with 0.25 ml
of Lugols iodine. Gently swirl to mix. DO NOT HEAT. Record the color change.
c. Test for cheese. In a test tube, mix crushed up cheese powder with 0.25 ml of
Lugols iodine. Gently swirl to mix. DO NOT HEAT. Record the color change.
3. Protein Indicator Test (CAUTION: Sodium hydroxide is a strong base, is caustic, and
can burn)
a. Test for protein. In a test tube, mix 2 ml of gelatin (protein) solution with 0.75 ml
of Biuret reagent. Record color change.
b. Test for negative control. In a test tube, mix 2 ml of deionized water with 0.75 ml
of Biuret reagent. Record color change.
c. Test for cheese. In a test tube, mix crushed up cheese powder with 0.75 ml of
Biuret reagent. Record color change.
4. Lipid Indicator Test
a. Test for Lipids. Place a drop of oil (100% fat) on a piece of brown paper bag. Let
it dry for 10 minutes. Hold up paper to light. Record how much light passes
through the spot (% of translucence).
b. Test for negative control. Place a drop of water on a piece of brown paper bag.
Let it dry for 10 minutes. Hold up paper to light. Record how much light passes
through the spot (% of translucence).
c. Test for cheese. Place a drop of water containing suspended cheese powder on
a piece of brown paper bag. Let it dry for 10 minutes. Hold up paper to light.
Record how much light passes through the spot (% of translucence).
d. Test for cheese. Mix 60 l of Sudan IV solution into 2 ml of water containing the
crushed up cheese powder. Red color means negative while an orange color
means a positive for lipids.

Data/Observations:
Section 1:
The data table below shows the data from the first section of the lab. The table includes the type
of agent used to curdle the milk, the time each type took to curdle, the total weight of the cone
and curds, the weight of the dry cone and the weight of the curds.
(All weights are measured in grams)

Rates of curdling:
Rate of FPC: 236.6 mg/minute
Rate of NCB: 0.79 mg/minute
Rate of buttermilk: 0.65 mg/minute
Rate of water: 0.79 mg/minute

Section 2:
The data table below shows data from the second section of the lab. The data includes the type
of milk(both using the FPC agent for curdling), the weight of the paper, the total weight, the
weight of the cone, and the weight of the curds. There is also a graph showing the two types of
milk and the final weight of the curds after their processing.
(All weights are measured in grams)

Rates of curdling:
Rate of the whole milk: 660 mg/minute
Rate of the chocolate milk: 200 mg/minute
The data table above shows the results when we tested our cheese for the components;
glucose, starch, protein, and lipids.

Some observations i had during the lab were the smells of each agent. The FPC had a very
rancid and strong smell while the water and NCB had no scent. Another observation that i had
was some tests changed color multiple times while testing for the compounds of the cheese
while others changed color only once.

Analysis/Discussion:
Section 1:
The data collected from section 1 of the lab shows that Chymosin FPC curdled the fastest out of
the four agents. This is demonstrated in the data titled rates of curdling under the first image
where you can see that the FPC agent has the highest rate. This proves the original hypothesis
that FPC will curdle the fastest. One error that could have occurred were variations in
temperature that each tube was held at, as this would affect the curdling process. Another error
could have been an improper measurement of curdling agent, as too little would make the
process slower than normal and too much would accelerate the process. This experiment could
be expanded to test different curdling agents on other things than curd rate, such as the amount
of total cheese produced, or the actual quality and taste of the cheese itself.
Section 2:
The data collected in section 2 of the lab suggests that using chocolate milk instead of regular
whole milk(both with the FPC agent) will yield less cheese in a longer amount of time making it
overall an inefficient option. The data titled rates of curdling under the second image confirms
this as you can see that the chocolate milk produced a smaller amount of cheese in a larger
amount of time compared to the whole milk. This reassures the hypothesis of part two where the
chocolate milk did curdle slower than the whole milk.

Section 3: The table containing the data from part 3s tests show what each test will look like if
the substance you test contains each molecule. It also shows which of the four molecules we
tested the cheese we created in part 1 contains. From this data, cheese contains fats, proteins,
and glucose. The hypothesis for part 3 was proven correct, cheese only contains fats and
proteins, but in various tests we found that the cheese also contains glucose. Errors that could
have affected this process would be using the solution containing the molecule and water mixed
with crushed cheese powder instead of using the indicator and the water with crushed cheese
powder. This would contain the molecule because you mixed a solution used for the positive
control, so the results would be inaccurate. Another error would be to just use big flakes of
cheese mixed into the indicator because this could make it difficult for the two to interact,
whereby crushing the cheese and suspending it in water allows it to mix with the indicator
solution. This experiment leads to further studies of if different cheeses contain different
molecules.

Conclusion:
Claim: I have discovered that the most efficient way to curdle milk into cheese is by using the
FPC agent and whole milk.
Lead in: We began by testing four curdling agents in milk to see which agent would curdle the
fastest and yield the most cheese. We then switched the milk with chocolate milk and tested
how that would affect the most efficient agent(FPC). We proceeded to test for what the cheese
was made up of.
Evidence: The rate for the FPC agent is far higher than the other rates as it sits at 236.6
mg/minute. It also has the largest weight with the curds weighing .47 grams. When this agent is
added to chocolate milk the results are less yielding with the rate being 200 mg/minute and the
weight of the curds sitting at .10 grams. The cheese is made up of glucose, proteins, and lipids
as seen in the third image.
Analysis: This evidence are the results of all of the testing that we did throughout this lab. From
section 1 to section 3, this evidence gives all of the results of each section.