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Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Maintain sanitation in acid-coagulated soft cheese making
   • Sanitise or pre-ripen a container of starter culture under aseptic conditions before tipping the contents into the vat to reduce the risk of infection or contamination
   • Ensure all surfaces, except curing boards, meet cleanliness and sanitisation requirements1.3 Manage stringent hygiene and quarantine procedures
   • Manage multi-phase cleaning systems to ensure sanitised surfaces and equipment
   • Record food safety related information according to workplace procedures
2. Implement procedures to prepare milk for acid-coagulated soft cheese making
   • Sample raw milk and measure and analyse composition and counts
   • Ensure clarification and standardisation procedures for raw milk are carried out
   • Ensure pasteurisation procedures for milk are performed
   • Maintain raw milk area separation from pasteurised milk operations
3. Inoculate the milk to promote coagulation
   • Add lactic culture to the milk and mix evenly according to cheese type and recipe
   • Add coagulating enzymes to the milk according to recipe
   • Maintain temperature throughout the tank or vat according to recipe
   • Maintain a log of pH and temperature to control ripening and yield
4. Develop procedures to process curds
   • Manage curd breaking or cutting according to recipe and workplace procedures
   • Measure and record whey fat content to assess curd breaking or cutting efficiency according to recipe and cheese type
   • Plan the processing schedule to ensure optimal syneresis
   • Develop and implement draining procedures to ensure curd is at required moisture, pH level and consistency
5. Manage packaging procedures for acid-coagulated soft cheeses
   • Manage ripening agents to acid-coagulated soft cheeses if required
   • Optimise curing by planning for and adjusting the key composition ratios of acid-coagulated soft cheeses
   • Use surface treatments according to cheese type and recipe
   • Manage packaging as appropriate for cheese type
   • Label the product with complete and accurate information as specified by legislation
6. Monitor and adjust process control to produce cheese with consistent taste and quality
   • Establish the process objectives of acid-coagulated soft cheese making
   • Control the amount of moisture in acid-coagulated soft cheese by regulating syneresis
   • Adjust calcium phosphate levels to influence basic cheese structure if required
   • Control texture of the cheese by regulating pH, ripening agents, salt, moisture and fat
   • Control cheese flavour through choice of ingredients, such as milks, cultures, coagulating agents and salt, and pH levels
   • Optimise yield by establishing process control parameters
7. Carry out sensory analysis and grading of soft cheeses
   • Assess cheeses for evenness of texture, colour, finish and flavour
   • Analyse organoleptic properties of acid-coagulated soft cheese to identify possible changes to process control
8. Meet workplace requirements for food safety, quality and environmental management
   • Record food safety related information
   • Maintain records of cheese manufacture
   • Develop and implement work health and safety and environmental protection procedures through a risk management approach
   • Dispose of waste and review environmental impacts of the cheese making operation