Home › The Curd Nerd Forum For Home Cheese Makers › Fresh Cheeses › Mozzarella troubleshooting
- This topic has 2 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 8 months ago by Ray Johnson.
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- kristel managaParticipant
Hi! Just new here. I have concerns regarding my mozzarella balls in brine. I have produced good mozzarella balls but the problem arise when I put the balls in brine. After some times, the balls become soft, slimy and the brine becomes milky. I monitor the pH of the whey and it was 5.4, as well as the brine, I adjusted to about the same pH as the whey/curd. I also added Calcium chloride to brine to balance the calcium but still the balls melt in the brine. What could be other possible reasons for this? Thanks so much for the help. 🙂
PunkinParticipantKristel, sounds like you hit all the bases. I have had similar issues but adding a measure of calcium chloride and also adding some vinegar to adjust the PH my troubles went away. Once I get my brine balanced I keep it indefinitely and just add to it. Wish I could help more.
Ray JohnsonParticipantIf brine is balanced in pH and has calcium then the cheese must be at fault. Have you been using floc (floating bowl) test to make sure the rennet is doing it’s job in the desired time? Also have you tested your milk for possible problems such as antibiotic residues or poor calcium levels? Is brine storage your only option or could you freeze the mozza instead?
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