If you’re anything like us, you probably use cheese in many of your meals. It may be in hot soup, grated cheese or mixed green salads.
But have you ever thought about the cheese production process? Knowing the process may be exciting if you’re a loyal cheese lover.
Below, we’ll discuss the amount of milk you need to produce a wheel of Grana Padano DOP and how more or less milk will affect the final product.
The Amount of Milk Needed to Produce a Wheel of Grana Cheese
To produce two twin wheels of this Italian cheese, 1,000 litres of raw milk are needed. This means that you need 500 litres of raw cow milk to make a wheel of cheese with all the Grana Padano characteristics. Therefore, you only need 15 litres of milk for a kilogram of cheese.
A mature wheel of Grana cheese can weigh between 24 to 40 kilograms and bears a finely-grained texture. Grana cheese takes at least nine months and over two years to mature.
What Will Happen if You Put Less Milk While Making Grana Padano DOP?
As you might have guessed, adding less milk during the production of this PDO Grana cheese will affect the output. Below, we cover what would happen if you put in less milk.
- There will be a texture change
Grana Padano bears a grainy texture. Using less milk in production will make the texture denser and harder. Moreover, the cheese may not have a perfect granular texture and can be more compact. - Changes in flavour
The taste may change. Well-made Padano bears a sharp flavour that mellows with time. Less milk in the cheese may result in a more concentrated flavour due to the higher percentage of solids. - Reduced moisture
Adding less milk while making Grana Padano means it would be drier and less creamy. Also, it may not age as intensely, which may reduce its quality.
What Will Happen if You Add More Milk to the Cheese?
Adding more milk or less when making this cheese will, without a doubt, affect the final product. Below, we discuss what could happen if you add more milk.
- Softer and less flavourful cheese
Adding more milk would dilute the protein and fat concentration required for proper curdling. This would change the flavour and texture, resulting in a softer and less flavourful Grana Padano DOP cheese. - Imbalance in the nutritional composition
Mature Grana cheese has 33.2% proteins, 27.5% fats and 4.8% ash. Adding more milk would increase the amount of proteins in the final product, changing its over quality and composition.
Conclusion
So, using the correct amount of raw cow milk when producing Grana Padano DOP is crucial. Plus, while you may be tempted to use more milk to increase its quality, it may not be the case. You should ensure to use the right amount of the other required ingredients, too, to ensure your product quality is as it should be.
