In Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese making (www.parmigianoreggiano.it),
the period ranging from the beginning of evening
milking on the herd and the start of the cheese making process at
the cheese factory, the following morning, could be divided into
two well distinct and consecutive phases: the first one is the time
elapsing from the beginning of milking to the delivery of raw milk
to the cheese factory. In this first phase (that regards both the
evening and morning milk) storage is not allowed, the whole
milking should be done within 4 h, and milk most be delivered to
the cheese factory within 2 h from the end of milking, at
a temperature not lower than 18 C. Therefore, this period could
last a maximum of 6 h. The second phase concerns only evening
milk. In this phase, evening raw milk is poured into large flat vat
over night (