Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Legislation
Legislative requirements are typically reflected in procedures and specifications. Legislation relevant to this industry includes:
the Food Standards Code, including labelling, weights and measures legislation
legislation covering food safety, environmental management, OHS, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity.
Policies and procedures
Work is carried out according to:
company procedures
regulatory and licensing requirements
legislative requirements
industrial awards and agreements.
Cheese tests
Cheese tests may include:
testing for pH levels, moisture levels, salt levels and fat and protein levels
microbiological testing
chemical testing
physical testing of cheese throughout production
testing for organoleptic properties.
Cheese types
Cheese types may include the range of rennet-coagulated cheeses including:
low heating temperature (<40°C) hard cheeses (e.g. Cheddar)
high temperature (>40°C) hard cheeses (e.g. Parmesan and Romano)
eye cheeses
mould ripened cheeses (e.g. Camembert and Blue)
bacterial surface ripened cheeses (e.g. Swiss Tilsit)
feta
past filata cheeses (e.g. Mozzarella).
Clarification procedures for raw milk
Clarification procedures for raw milk may include:
cloth filters
centrifugal clarifiers and separators
bactofugation
membrane (micro) filtration.
Milk standardisation requirements
Milk standardisation requirements may:
include standardisation of microflora, fat and protein, and casein/fat rations
require the addition of skim milk or skim milk solids, or the separation of cream.
Pasteurisation methods
Pasteurisation methods may be:
batch or continuous.
Cheese inoculants
Cheese inoculants include:
the lactic acid bacteria which are added to the milk as a culture in inoculation.
Cheese additives
Cheese additives may be added to the milk after inoculation and include:
calcium chloride
nitrates
colour (e.g. Annatto is added to Cheddar style cheeses to make a more orange colour)
lipases
adjunct cultures (e.g. Propionibacteria added to milk for Swiss type cheeses results in the large eyes and characteristic flavour of these cheeses)
enzymes (e.g. the use of lipase in some Parmesan and Romano style cheeses).
Cheese adjuncts
Cheese adjuncts are microbial populations added to cheese in addition to the normal inoculants to:
provide consistency to flavour and texture
accelerate flavour development
produce specific attributes to meet market targets
Adjunct cultures are essential for the correct ripening of the cheese.
Rennets
Rennets may include:
enzymes (mostly chymosin) from animal stomachs
chymosin fermented by genetically modified organisms
enzymes from microbial or plant sources.
Key composition ratios of cheese
Key composition ratios of cheese include:
salt to moisture ratio (S/M)
moisture in the non fat substance (MNFS)
fat in the dry matter (FDM)
pH (acidity).
Process control parameters to optimise yield
Process control parameters to optimise yield include:
curd cutting and subsequent agitation
heating and cooking
high temperatures during pressing.
Principles of optimising yield
Principles of optimising yield include:
obtain highest MNFS with good quality
standardise milk (P/F) to obtain maximum value for milk components
minimise fat and protein losses in the whey.
Processing factors to achieve moisture control
Processing factors to achieve moisture control include:
cheese making time
curd particle size
cooking temperature.
Preparation of the curd
For Cheddar and pasta filata cheeses, the curd particles may be allowed to matt before cutting and stacking as loaves, or stirred to prevent the particles from matting before the addition of dry salt. The loaves of matted curd are milled into small pieces before salting. The milled or stirred curd particles may be washed before salting
For pasta filata cheeses, salted, part salted or unsalted curd is heated to ~60°C to plasticise the curd (typically by stretching in hot water or brine). The plasticised cheese is then moulded into its desired shape and the part salted or unsalted cheeses salted further in a brine solution
For opened textured cheeses (e.g. Feta, Parmesan, Havarti, and most blue mould ripened cheeses) well drained curd is generally transferred from the vat into moulds before optional pressing
Eye and open textured cheese types are generally pressed before salting
For surface ripened soft cheeses (mould and/or bacteria), curd and part of the whey is transferred into moulds to form the shape of the cheese before salting.
Ripening procedures
Ripening procedures include:
for most hard cheeses:
the cheese may be sealed and allowed to ripen under either temperature controlled conditions (for rindless cheeses) or allowed to ripen under temperature and humidity controlled conditions before the cheese is sealed (for rinded cheeses)
for white or blue mould ripened cheeses, soft bacterial surface ripened cheeses (e.g. Limburger) and hard bacterial surface ripened cheeses(e.g. Swiss Tilsit):
the cheeses are allowed to ripen under temperature and humidity controlled conditions before the cheese is generally packaged in aerobic packaging. Some blue mould cheese and bacterial surface ripened cheese styles may be sealed at some stage during ripening
feta cheeses:
are generally ripened in a salt brine.
Aging of hard cheeses
Aging of hard cheeses may be:
from one to two months to several years
Temperature must be monitored for rindless cheeses and temperature and humidity for rind, mould ripened and bacterial surface ripened cheeses.
Packaging
Packaging may include:
vacuum and/or gas flush in gas and moisture proof film
surface drying as a protective rind followed by waxing
oxygen permeable packaging for most mould and bacterial surface ripened cheese types.
Multi-phase cleaning systems
Multi-phase cleaning systems require:
cleaning with a chlorinated alkaline detergent with a chelator, followed by water and acid rinses.
Records of cheese manufacture
Records of cheese manufacture may include:
timing of operations
temperature logging
milk and curd pH profile
curd weight
milk composition
cheese microbial counts
hooped yield
curing and grading data.
Food safety related information
Food safety related information may include:
milk counts
cheese bacterial counts
manufacture and storage details.
Cleaning standards
Cleaning standards include:
AS 4709 - 2001 Guide to cleaning and sanitising of plant and equipment in the food industry
AS 1162 - 2000 Cleaning and sanitising dairy factory equipment
AS 2541 - 1998 Guide to the cleaning-in-place of dairy factory equipment.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.
Overview of assessment
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to produce artisan rennet-coagulated cheeses to a commercial standard. Assessment cannot take place on fully integrated industrial equipment.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Critical aspects of assessment must include evidence of the ability to produce a range of rennet-coagulated cheeses including:
establishing procedures for:
sanitation, food safety, quality assurance and environmental management in rennet-coagulated cheese production
developing work instructions for:
preparing milk for cheese making
coagulating milk through renneting
ensuring a suitable rate of fermentation
carrying out manufacture and curing processes to optimal levels
packaging and labelling rennet-coagulated cheeses
carrying out sensory analysis of rennet-coagulated cheeses
reviewing process control based on sensory analysis and recovered yield.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment of performance requirements in this unit should be undertaken within the context of cheese production. Competency is demonstrated by performance of all stated criteria, including the critical aspects and knowledge and skills elaborated in the Evidence Guide, and within the scope as defined by the Range Statements applicable to the workplace environment.

Assessment must occur in a real or simulated workplace where the assessee has access to:
production process and related equipment, including vats, stainless steel wire knives and milling machines, manufacturers’ advice and product specifications
sampling and testing equipment and procedures
methods and related software systems, as required, for collecting data and calculating yields, efficiencies and material variances appropriate to the type of cheese and the production environment.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
observation of candidate making rennet-coagulated cheeses
written and/or oral questioning to assess knowledge and understanding
workplace samples of rennet-coagulated cheeses with a documented history of process and a completed self-evaluation
composition analysis of milk and cheese samples
third-party supporting statement.
Guidance information for assessment
Evidence should be gathered over a period of time against a range of rennet-coagulated cheese products. Part of the evidence requirements for this unit requires that samples of at least three batches of rennet-coagulated cheeses be produced to a commercial standard, in a real or simulated environment. Students must be assessed on their ability to control all aspects of sanitation and materials storage and handling.