UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension will offer the “Science and Art of Cheese Making Short Course,” Nov. 7-10, at the Erickson Food Science Building on Penn State’s University Park campus. The course is designed for current farmstead and small-scale cheesemakers, entrepreneurs starting a value-added cheese business, and others in the dairy industry interested in learning about cheese making.
In this four-day course, participants will learn about the ingredients and processes used in making different varieties of cheese. The course provides a foundation in the chemistry and microbiology of the milk, cultures and other ingredients used in cheese making and the changes that occur step-by-step as milk becomes cheese. This can help cheesemakers choose the right ingredients and conditions to make their desired cheese, improve quality and troubleshoot problems.
Instructors will discuss the materials and conditions used to make different cheese varieties with samples available for tasting. Participants will spend a day in the pilot plant making cheddar cheese and learning about other important aspects of cheese making. The course also will cover basic sanitation principles, regulations on cheese standards and food safety, and business development for small-scale cheesemakers.
Registration-fee discounts are available for early registration and for multiple people from the same company. Agenda, travel information and online registration are available on the Science and Art of Cheese Making website.
EDITORS: For general and registration information, contact the Conferences and Short Courses Office in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences at 877-865-8301 or csco@psu.edu. For questions regarding course content, contact Kerry Kaylegian, associate research professor in the Department of Food Science, at kek14@psu.edu.
–College of Agricultural Sciences
Penn State