"Fat in dry matter" means written out: Fat in the dry matter. It is the percentage of fat by mass in the dry matter of the cheese, i.e. all the components of the cheese (except the water). Fat in dry matter therefore only refers to the fat content in the dry matter. It is irrelevant how much water the cheese contains. According to the Cheese Ordinance, the fat content in the dry matter or the fat level must be indicated for cheese. Fat cheeses are normally recognised by a fat content in dry matter of over 40 %.

Cheese is made from dry matter and water. The water evaporates during maturing and storage, causing the cheese to lose weight. The actual fat content is therefore lower than the stated value. There are formulae that can be used to calculate the absolute fat content. For hard cheese, for example, fat in dry matter multiplied by 0.7, for mozzarella fat in dry matter multiplied by 0.4 or semi-hard cheese fat in dry matter multiplied by 0.6. Cream cheese and quark are usually lighter than you would think based on the stated value "fat in dry matter". value.