For Immediate Release . . .

DPTC NEWS

March 24, 2003

San Luis Obispo, CA

The Art and Science of Producing Cheese . . . Learning the why's and how's of safely, efficiently, and consistently producing high quality cheese was the subject of the 15th Cal Poly/UC Davis Cheese Short Course held at the Cal Poly Dairy Products Technology Center. Faculty from Cal Poly DPTC and U.C. Davis and key individuals from industry serve as the instructors. Annual domestic production of cheese exceeds 8 billion pounds or about 31 pounds of cheese consumed per capita. That's a lot of cheese and it requires well trained people to produce and market the literally 100's of varieties of cheese that consumers desire. In California alone, 60 companies produced over 160 cheese varieties which amounted to over 1.6 billion pounds of cheese.

This program continues to attract attendees from large scale mechanized cheesemaking operations, small farmstead cheese manufacturers and entrepreneurs. In addition to those actually interested in cheesemaking, the attendee list includes marketers, engineers, investors and other individuals who are involved in the cheese business. There are attendees representing plants who make a million pounds of cheese a day sitting next to dairy producers who are deciding what equipment to use and what cheese to produce in a farmstead operation. "The diverse backgrounds of the attendees provides a unique opportunity to share a wide range of valuable perspectives and interests," says Prof. Phil Tong, the course leader. "While teaching to such a diverse group of people may sound like a daunting task, the emphasis on the basic aspects of cheese science and technology is common to any cheese at any scale," adds Tong. Once we cover the basics in a classroom setting, we give them practical experience by evaluating cheeses, making cheeses in our pilot plant, and having the class complete some team assignments that are based on real world problems facing all cheesemakers. It's a fun week for all and we all learn from each other.

The Annual Cheese Short Course is one of many outreach program supported by the California Dairy Research Foundation and the Cheese Research and Education Fund. For further information about upcoming programs see www.calpoly.edu/~dptc/outreach or contact Laurie Jacobson (805-756-6097).

Attached photos:

The 15th Cal Poly/UC Davis Cheese Short Course I Class
Pilot plant cheesemaking experience (Monterey jack)
Pilot plant cheesemaking experience (Cheddar)
Running chemical tests to monitor cheese making process

For further information contact Laurie Jacobson (805-756-6097, ljacobso@calpoly.edu)

The Dairy Products Technology Center (DPTC), established in 1986, is a program within the College of Agriculture at Cal Poly State University that conducts education, research, and outreach activities to provide solutions to help manage risk, facilitate innovation, and defend equity in the dairy foods industry and related business sectors. For further information visit our website at www.calpoly.edu/~dptc

Click here to see more pictures from the course