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26 August 2025 | Story Martinette Brits | Photo Martinette Brits
From the left: Elisa Mosala (Dairy Assistant), Dr Analie Hattingh (Lecturer and Production Manager), Eline van der Velde (cheesemaking expert from the Netherlands), and Martha Kantoane (Dairy Assistant) on the UFS Experimental Farm.

Cheesemaking expertise from the Netherlands has given University of the Free State (UFS) students a unique taste of hands-on learning. From 10 to 22 August 2025, Eline van der Velde, a cheesemaking specialist and lecturer in food technology, spent two weeks at the UFS Paradys Experimental Farm teaching students, guiding dairy assistants, and working with staff to strengthen the university’s Dairy Processing Unit.

Supported by PUM – a Dutch volunteer organisation that connects international experts with local projects – her visit combined technical training with practical exposure, showing students the full process of transforming fresh milk into a range of cheeses.

 

Hands-on cheesemaking at the UFS

In interactive sessions, Van der Velde introduced students in the BSc Food Systems programme to the art and science of cheesemaking. They learned how to prepare paneer, halloumi, feta, mozzarella, and cottage cheese, while experimenting with flavoured varieties such as garlic-and-oregano and chilli cheese.

“I gave demonstrations on different types of coagulation and let the students try it out themselves. They asked great questions and enjoyed it so much that they wanted to come again for more practicals,” she said.

For many students, the opportunity was a first step into the practical realities behind food science. “It’s as if a whole world has opened up for our students,” said Dr Analie Hattingh, Lecturer and Production Manager at the Paradys Experimental Farm. “They don’t just hear about pH in theory – they can relate it to what they’ve seen and experienced here. That’s what prepares them for the workplace.”

“Due to food safety regulations all over the world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to take food science or food sustainability students into commercial factories. They don’t allow students or visitors anymore. At least with this facility here, our students can experience a real production environment and see how the industry works,” Dr Hattingh said. 

 

From farm girl to food technologist

Van der Velde’s passion for cheesemaking began on her uncle’s farm in the Netherlands, where she helped with milking and turning cheeses in storage. “Even though I grew up in the city, I think I’m more of a farm girl at heart,” she recalled.

Today, she teaches at an agricultural school and trains adults entering the food industry, while volunteering internationally through PUM. “I like to share knowledge – it’s not for me alone. That’s why I volunteer, to support projects across the world,” she explained.

 

Sustainability at the heart of the farm

The cheesemaking unit also forms part of the experimental farm’s commitment to sustainability. The cheeses are made from milk produced by Jersey cows on the farm, with careful attention to hygiene and quality. Byproducts are reused – whey is processed into ricotta, and the remainder is spread as fertiliser in the fields. “Nothing goes to waste,” Van der Velde noted.

Hattingh added that this integrated approach ensures that the farm serves as both an academic training ground and a model for sustainable food production. “We want to be self-sustaining and academically valuable, without competing with industry – to serve both the university and its students,” she said.

 

A shared learning journey

For dairy assistants Elisa Mosala and Martha Kantoane, working alongside Van der Velde and the students was equally rewarding. “It was nice, especially learning how to do different kinds of cheese,” said Kantoane.

Mosala agreed: “It was nice working with students and experiencing more every day. I learned new skills and got out of my comfort zone.”

Looking to the future, Van der Velde emphasised the value of involving students in the entire process – from milking to packaging and selling – so that they graduate with both knowledge and practical skills. She also believes in the potential of more international exchange: “These projects benefit both sides. Knowledge exchange in agriculture and food science is essential for building sustainable solutions worldwide.”

News Archive

Travel 120 million light years this July holiday
2014-07-07

The first digital planetarium in sub-Saharan Africa – situated on Naval Hill, right here in Bloemfontein – opened on 1 November 2013. The University of the Free State (UFS) is managing this facility.

In view of the July holiday, special family programmes will be hosted on Friday night, 11 July 2014. The programme includes the following shows:

Nanocam
Nanocam (you shrink down to the size of an insect and fly through the eye of a needle) is a microscopic joyride into the five kingdoms of living organisms. The show offers a compelling, educational and funny approach to life that has never been seen like this before.

Fragile Planet
Fragile Planet offers a journey of 120 million light years to rediscover our home. The audience experiences an astronaut’s view of the earth, highlighting earth’s unique regions.

The pre-produced programmes are all in English, but the live presentation and tour through the universe will be alternately in Afrikaans or English.

Tariffs
Adults: R50
Learners, students and pensioners: R30

Buy tickets at
- The planetarium before shows;
- Computicket (at all Checkers, Shoprite, House and Home and Checkers Hyper shops);
Computicket’s enquiry centre (08619158000), or
- Online at www.online.computicket.com (look for ‘planetarium’), for mobile devices go to www.computicket.mobi (look for ‘planetarium’).

For any enquiries, you are welcome to contact Yolandie Loots at FickY@ufs.ac.za or on +27(0)51 401 9751.





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