Cheese Lab Analysis

In this lab we asked the question of “what are the optimal conditions and curdling agents for making cheese.” We found that the optimal conditions for making cheese are a hot temperature and an acidic pH level, while the best curdling agents were chymosin and rennin. In the lab, curdling agents that were placed in acid took an average of 5 minutes, while curdling agents placed in bases did not curdle. Likewise, curdling agents placed under a hot temperature took very little time (5 and 10 minutes) while curdling agents placed under a cold temperature did not curdle. In both situations, curdling agents with controls for their temperatures and pH levels took longer time to curdle than the acid and hot temperature. The best curdling agents for making cheese were chymosin and rennin based off the process of elimination, as they were the only curdling agents that curdled. Rennin took less time with an average pH (10 versus 15 minutes) while chymosin was better in with hot temperatures (5 versus 10 minutes). Cheese is created with the enzyme rennin, which is found in the stomach of baby calves and is kept in a warm, acidic environment for it to survive. This data supports our claim because it shows that chymosin and renin are the best curdling agents since they are the only ones that curdled, and that the best environment is a hot and acidic one because they had the fastest times and are the environment in which renin is naturally found.

While our hypothesis was supported by our data, there could have been possible errors due to human error and inconsistencies due to the timings of when we observed the test tubes. The human error came in many forms, such as problems in measuring liquids for the different enzyme solutions and inconsistent control temperatures. These errors may have impacted the data, as improper liquid measurements lead to inexact solution levels, so the solutions may have been exposed to varying levels of enzymes and acid/base. Differences in armpit temperatures (which were used as a control) may have caused certain solutions to curdle slower are faster than they would have under ideal conditions. Another cause was the length in time between checking on solutions. Experimenters were to check every 5 minutes for curdling ,which left a gap in time in which the solutions may have curdled, causing imperfect data. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend decreasing the time between observations to create more accurate data and to properly measure solutions, which may not be possible due to there always being human error.

This lab was done to show the effects of temperature and pH level on enzymes and to find the best curdling agent for cheese. From this lab I learned how temperature and pH level affect enzymes, which helps me understand the concept of enzymes and activation energy, which can be decreased by a higher temperature and allow the enzyme to work more effectively under the right circumstances. Based on my experience from this lab, I now know the best conditions for enzymes to function in and can create the best conditioned environment for future experiments with enzymes.

Time to Curdle (minutes)
Curdling Agent:	Chymosin	Renin	Buttermilk	Milk (Control)
Acid	5	5
Base
pH Control	15	10
Cold
Hot	5	10
Temp Control	15	15