Outlines of Dairy Bacteriology, 8th edition / A Concise Manual for the Use of Students in Dairying

by H. L. Russell

Where rennet extract or tablets are used, as is generally the case in cheddar making, the number of bacteria added is so infinitesimal as to be negligible.

Development of acid. In the manufacture of cheddar cheese, the development of acid exerts an important influence on the character of the product. This is brought about by holding the curds at temperatures favorable to the growth of the bacteria in the same. Under these conditions the lactic-acid organisms, which usually predominate, develop very rapidly, producing thereby considerable quantities of acid which change materially the texture of the curds. The lactic acid acts upon the casein in solutions containing salt, causing it to dissolve to some extent, thus forming the initial compounds of digestion.[184] This solution of the casein is expressed physically by the "stringing" of the curds on a hot iron. This causes the curds to mat, producing a close, solid body, free from mechanical holes. Still further, the development of this acid is necessary for the digestive activity of the pepsin in the rennet extract.

In some varieties of cheese, as the Swiss, acid is not developed and the character of the cheese is much different from that of cheddar. In all such varieties, a great deal more trouble is experienced from the production of "gassy" curds, because the development of the gas-producing bacteria is held in check by the rapid growth of the lactic acid-producing species.

Bacteria in green cheese. The conditions under which cheese is made permit of the development of bacteria throughout the entire process. The cooking or heating of curds to expel the excessive moisture is never so high as to be fatal to germ life; on the contrary, the acidity of the curd and whey is continually increased by the development of bacteria in the same.

The body of green cheese fresh from the press is, to a considerable extent, dependent upon the acid produced in the curds. If the curds are put to press in a relatively sweet condition the texture is open and porous. The curd particles do not mat closely together and "mechanical holes," rough and irregular in outline, occur. Very often, at relatively high temperatures, such cheese begin to "huff," soon after being taken from the press, a condition due to the development of gas, produced by gas-generating bacteria acting on the sugar in the curd. This gas finds its way readily into these ragged holes, greatly distending them, as in Fig. 30.

Fig. 30.

L, a sweet curd cheese direct from the press. "Mechanical" holes due to lack of acid development; P, same cheese four days later, mechanical holes distended by development of gas.

Physical changes in ripening cheese. When a green cheese is taken from the press, the curd is tough, firm, but elastic. It has no value as a food product for immediate use, because it lacks a desirable flavor and is not readily digestible. It is nothing but precipitated casein and fat. In a short time, a deep-seated change occurs. Physically this change is demonstrated in the modification that the curd undergoes. Gradually it breaks down and becomes plastic, the elastic, tough curd being changed into a softened mass. This change in texture of the cheese is also accompanied by a marked change in flavor. The green cheese has no distinctively cheese flavor, but in course of time, with the gradual change of texture, the peculiar flavor incident to ripe cheese is developed.