I noticed my bottle of annatto says it should be kept away from salt, especially calcium. ??????? Are they just talking about storage conditions? If not, what about salted and colored cheeses? And what about calcium chloride in a cheese that ought to be colored? Does anyone know if this ok? Am I over thinking this? 
Bobbie

Yes, I believe this would be a reference to storage.  Certainly anatto is used in conjunction with both salt and calcium in cheese making.  But also, in the cheese making process all three of these, anatto, calcium and salt, are in a less concentrated condition; and this would make a big difference in how they inter-react.

LittleCriminal - 14 June 2009 09:14 PM

I noticed my bottle of annatto says it should be kept away from salt, especially calcium. ??????? Are they just talking about storage conditions? If not, what about salted and colored cheeses? And what about calcium chloride in a cheese that ought to be colored? Does anyone know if this ok? Am I over thinking this?
Bobbie

The Annatto, diluted with water, should be added first before any other ingredient and stirred thoroughly.

Ok then!
I thought I’d just ignore the directions on the bottle and then remembered that every step in a recipe is crucial so I probably shouldn’t ignore a warning on a label, but it seemed too weird so I had to ask. My Cotswold will be pretty pretty thanks to your help.
Bobbie

The reason of adding Annatto first is that the milk should be “virgin” before any coagulation may occur to avoid colored spots in the curds. Happy for you being successful.

Now I’m curious- what do you think about adding it after a starter has been introduced? A recipe I have (not in front of it now, can’t remember what kind of cheese) says that the color (optional in this case) can be introduced between the starter (also optional) and the rennet. I remember because the label on my bottle of anatto also mentioned that it should be introduced before rennet, and didn’t mention starter. Ah, the endless variation keeps me asking endless questions!
Bobbie

Most of my knowledge about cheese making, I have from a class I took with one of the leading engineers in the milk industry in my country. The “how to use Annatto” was mentioned as a basic routine in home cheese-making. This is a step I make automatically after the explanations I’ve got. To my opinion, provided you put it before the Rennet, and that’s crucial, is only a matter of aesthetics how the completed cheese will look like.

Alex, your point of adding anatto prior to coagulation makes sense.  There would be an uneven coloration were the curd already forming.  As to Bobbie’s questions - I have always added anatto immediately prior to rennet.  As there is no coagulation going on during the ripening stage, there is also no adverse effect in doing so.  Thanks for the explanation - it was pretty logical if I’d just stopped to think about it.