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The objective of this study was to describe the dependence of textural properties (hardness, cohesiveness, and relative adhesiveness) of processed cheese spreads on the proportion of disodium phosphate (DSP), tetrasodium diphosphate (TSPP), and sodium salts of polyphosphate in ternary mixtures of emulsifying salts. Sodium salts of polyphosphate with different mean lengths (n ≈ 5, 9, 13, 20, and 28) were used. Pentasodium triphosphate (PSTP) was used instead of TSPP in the second part of the study. Products with and without pH adjustment were tested (the target pH value was 5.60-5.80). Textural properties of the processed cheese were observed after 2, 9, and 30 d of storage at 6°C. Hardness of the processed cheese with a low content of polyphosphate increased at a specific DSP:TSPP ratio (~1:1 to 3:4). This trend was the same for all the polyphosphates used; only the absolute values of texture parameters were different. The same trends were observed in the ternary mixtures with PSTP, showing lower final values of hardness compared with samples containing TSPP. Hardness and cohesiveness decreased and relative adhesiveness increased in the samples with increased pH values and vice versa; the main trend remained unchanged.

Effects of forage pH on voluntary intake of corn silage and alfalfa haylage were evaluated. Four (140kg) Holstein steers were in a 4×4 Latin-square design with 15-day experimental periods in Trial 1. Treatments consisted of 1) fresh whole corn plant frozen at harvest, 2) fresh whole corn plant acidified with hydrochloric acid to the pH of corn silage, 3) corn silage, and 4) corn silage neutralized with sodium bicarbonate to the pH of fresh whole corn plant. Addition of acid to fresh whole corn plant reduced pH from 5.20 to 3.66 and organic matter intake .29 to 3.62 kg/day. Neutralization of corn silage acidity increased pH from 3.86 to 5.94 and organic matter intake .49 to 4.23 kg/day. In Trial 2, 16 Holstein heifers (290kg) were fed one of the following treatments in an 8-wk experiment: 1) control corn silage, 2) corn silage plus added water, and 3) corn silage plus 7.0% sodium bicarbonate solution in amount identical to amount of water in 2. Water and sodium bicarbonate solution were added at 25 kg/100kg of silage prior to feeding. Addition of water depressed intake of organic matter 1.16kg to 6.64 kg/day. Addition of sodium bicarbonate increased silage pH to 7.11 versus 3.79 for control and increased organic matter intake .59 kg/day over animals fed water plus silage. In Trial 3, 16 Holstein heifers (250kg) were fed in an 8-wk experiment haylage neutralized with 0, 1.f, 3.0, or 4.5.% sodium bicarbonate (dry matter). Silage pH increased from 4.48 in the controls to 5.78 at the highest addition of sodim bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate increased intake of organic matter in a linear response with the greatest increase (1.08 kg/day) at 4.5% sodium bicarbonate. Forage pH affects voluntary consumption of corn silage and alfalfa haylage, and neutralizing free acid with sodium bicarbonate increased intake.

Corn silage of 27 to 29% dry matter was ensiled alone and with additions of limestone, urea, diammonium phosphate, as well as with limestone combined with either urea or diammonium phosphate. There was a slight increase in pH over control values with single chemical additives and any combination increased pH more than a single chemical additive (P Addition of urea and diammonium phosphate significantly increased the crude protein equivalent of the treated silage. All added compounds produced an increase in the concentration of organic acids in the treated silage compared to the control silage. Intake of silage dry matter by milking cows was 1.7 to 1.9% of body weight for silages preserved alone or with additions of 0.5% urea, 0.5% limestone, both urea and limestone, or 1.0% diammonium phosphate plus limestone, but intake was less for those with additions of diammonium phosphate alone (1.3%), 0.75% urea alone, or with limestone (1.5%). Differences in fat-corrected milk production due to silages fed were small, but cows fed diammonium phosphate and 0.75% urea-treated silages produced 1.0 and 2.2kg less than those treated with 0.5% urea, which averaged 17.1 kg/cow/day.

Summary Experiments were conducted to determine the maximum brine concentrations required to inhibit growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum Type A in heated, surface-ripened cheese designated as Type III cheese. This cheese is ripened primarily by bacteria. Data from three groups of trials are presented. With inocula of Type A spores, growth and toxin production occurred in cheese with brine concentrations up to 6.50%. In two groups with moderately ripened cheese at the normal pH, the maximum brine concentrations permitting growth and toxin production were in the same range in cheese with stabilizer as in similar cheese with no stabilizer. Cheese preparations with increased pH were poorer media for C. botulinum than was the cheese with normal pH. Major observations in comparable experiments with surface-ripened cheese designated Types I, II, and III are discussed.