Author Topic: Swelling - Raw Cow Milk Cheese, Contamination?  (Read 1971 times)

ivacson

  • Guest
Swelling - Raw Cow Milk Cheese, Contamination?
« on: September 03, 2012, 07:57:24 PM »
Dear Masters!

I have a short question. The attachment is a picture about a cheese stored in a warm (~77°F) place for about 10 days. Are the holes a result of some contamination or just a regular respond of the nature in such a hot weather?

Process for producing this cheese: Milk heated to 90°F, mesophilic culture for 30 minutes,  rennet working for 30 minutes, curd heated till 107°F in 30 minutes.

hoeklijn

  • Guest
Re: Swelling - Raw Cow Milk Cheese, Contamination?
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2012, 08:55:00 PM »
How is the smell and the taste? Was the cheese swollen? I had this once on a Gouda with herbs and it smelled good but tasted like sour cream.
Did you make it from raw milk? If so, it could be "late blowing" due to contamination with buteric acid bacteria. You can prevent that by:
1. be sure you have milk from a good and clean source
2. Use something like Holdbac from Danisco or saltpeter (KNO3), max 40 ml/100 liter milk

crazycacti

  • Guest
Re: Swelling - Raw Cow Milk Cheese, Contamination?
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2012, 09:24:31 PM »
I had a cheese go like this and it was fine. Ran a little experiment with a cheese made with some TA61 and LH100 aged for 4 weeks at room temp and then waxed for about 12 months, came out really nice. Mould was a nightmare to control at higher temps but it got loads of tiny holes in it.

ivacson

  • Guest
Re: Swelling - Raw Cow Milk Cheese, Contamination?
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2012, 08:09:03 AM »
How is the smell and the taste? Was the cheese swollen? I had this once on a Gouda with herbs and it smelled good but tasted like sour cream.
Did you make it from raw milk? If so, it could be "late blowing" due to contamination with buteric acid bacteria. You can prevent that by:
1. be sure you have milk from a good and clean source
2. Use something like Holdbac from Danisco or saltpeter (KNO3), max 40 ml/100 liter milk

Dear Herman, Thank you for your hints!

The smell was quite strong cheese smell, maybe a little hydrogen sulphide, but noth disgusting. The taste was like a matured cheese, no disturbance. On the first day the cheese was 150 mm tall and on the 10 day around 250 mm so it was growing after 2-3 days. I used raw milk and I forgot to mention about the washing of the curd with 10% water.
The source for the milk is OK, I am using it for a year.
I want to avoid any kind of additives.

Dear Crazycacti, I think you do not have pitures about.

crazycacti

  • Guest
Re: Swelling - Raw Cow Milk Cheese, Contamination?
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2012, 04:18:16 PM »
No pictures, half of it still in wax and the other half in my stomach i'm afraid. I can assure you it looked very much like your photo though.