Salting Treatment to which the cheese is subjected before maturing. The salt has a preservative, antiseptic and osmotic action. Salting can be dry or in brine. Silage Feedstuff consisting of cereals, particularly maize, harvested before it is completely ripe and kept to feed cattle during winter. Skimming Procedure by which part of the fat is separated from the milk. Sotto-crosta Surface layer of the cheese located immediately underneath the rind. Has a more intense colour and stronger taste. Spino Tool used for ‘manually’ cutting the curds into pieces as large as a substance of rice. Starters Addition to milk of selected microorganisms that develop naturally in milk (milk starter) or in whey (whey starter) that are required to acidify the milk. Steaming Processing phase of cheese that completes the fermentation process. It consists of placing the cheeses in a damp place (at a temperature of between 24 and 28 degrees) for a variable length of time (24 hours at most). Sterilisation Operation to which milk for consumption is subjected in order to increase its shelf life even at ambient temperature. Heat treatment of raw milk lasts at least one second at a temperature of at least 135 degrees; the milk must not show any alteration after sterilisation. Swelling Alteration in cooked cheeses that develops as a consequence of the development of gasogenous microorganisms. Synerisis The phenomena that cause the whey to be expelled from the curd.