Using Annatto Cheese Coloring in Homemade Cheese.

Annatto is a natural vegetable dye used to give many cheese varieties, especially the Cheddars, a yellow-orange hue. Annatto is tasteless and is not a preservative. It is naturally derived from the Annatto tree and will impart an appetizing yellow color to your cheese.

Please note that annatto, like rennet will lose its potency over time and with exposure to light. It should be kept in a dark location at room temperature. The suggested usage for annatto cheese color is 2-3 drops per gallon of milk. Annatto has a high pH which may interfere with the rennet's ability to coagulate the milk if too much is used.

Preparing Annatto

Dilute the amount of annatto to be used with 20 volumes of distilled water.

Add to ripened milk and stir in evenly. This step must be performed before the rennet is added. Adding it after rennet may interfere with its coagulating ability.

Add rennet as directed in your cheese recipe. The yellow color will appear very pale. It will deepen after curds are separated and pressed and slightly further after aging.

*This article is an excerpt from The CIG to Cheese Making by James R. Leverentz.