There are a few things that will influence the yield you get, including:
- The season in which the milk is produced (this applies to most cheeses)
- The level of acidity present (this applies to most cheeses)
- The temperature you heat the whey to (this applies to most cheeses)
- Not adding enough citric acid
- Breaking down curds by over stirring and removing before they have time to cool
- Your yield will be lower when making whey Ricotta
- If making whey ricotta make it using fresh whey
- Milk is not as fresh - the fresher the better (this applies to most cheeses)
- When making whole milk ricotta if you don't heat enough your yield can be 30% lower
- If your whey is milky in colour after removing the curds this means your yield will be low because you haven't managed to separate the whey and curd well