Swelling cheese

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

Hi

I am new to making cheese and for the past 8 weeks I have been making cheeses.  Out of my earlier cheeses, I am finding that 1 out of three swelled up a little bit and when I opened them today the smelled a little bad.

Here is my question.  I absolutely sanitize everything I use and don't think I am introducing anything yet cheeses out of the same batch of milk, one smelled excellent and was really good tasting and the other smelled bad and no.  I did not taste it.  Also the bad one had many holes while the good one only had very few.  The holes looked more mechanical than anything as they did not have any uniformity to them.  But on the bad cheese there was definitely a lot of holes.

Is there anything I can add to the milk to get rid of any bad bacteria without having to pasteurize? Is there any enzymes I can use that would not change the taste of the cheese or the flavor of the cheese?

Thanks

[Kern]

Your problem could come from several things.  Pictures would help as well as information about the make.  It sounds like you got the milk, made a cheese and then made a second and third cheese from the same milk.  Your comment about pasteurization implies that you used raw milk for these cheeses.  I assume that you didn't make these all at the same time.  Which of the series had the problem?  How had the milk been stored between the time you got it and made the cheeses?  How long had it been stored?  How much time elapsed between the time you made the cheese and when you first noticed the bloating?

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

Hi Kern,

I purchase raw milk the evening before I start making cheeses and I don't pasteurize.  I make one the next morning and another one the morning after.  I store the milk in sterile containers in the refrigerator at around 37 to 38 degrees.  By the time I do my second cheese I often have ice form in the milk.  pH is mostly unchanged from one day to the next.

I have done a lot of reading since yesterday because I was very upset.  I really enjoy making cheese but the failures are very discouraging.  I know that it is not coliform since it is late blooming.

I am guessing that my issue is Clostridium which can exist in the air and has been linked to spores being flown around by air conditioning vents.  In addition, I believe I am taking too long to warm up the milk.  It takes me about 2 hours to get it to 86 degrees so I am going to change the way I heat to achieve temp in about 30 minutes or less.

I also found some suggestions about using Holdbac LC.  I have a question out to an expert because I would like to know if I can make starter culture from it and if I can use it in every make.  I know the shelf life if 8 months but in making starter culture you can continue to use it even if some of the bacteria is dead because it still multiplies enough to reach maximum saturation.

The good news is that the cheeses that are fine taste really good and smell excellent.  I never thought I could make cheese that good.  It is my failure rate with this issue that is VERY discouraging.

Thanks 

[qdog1955]

Do a search on lysozyme-----yes the failures can be discouraging---but keep on trying-----you really should be doing extensive searches on the forum-----most of these issues have been discussed and most numerous times.
Qdog

[Kern]

Do a search on lysozyme-----yes the failures can be discouraging---but keep on trying-----you really should be doing extensive searches on the forum-----most of these issues have been discussed and most numerous times.

I use lysozyme in all my aged cheese.  Danbo and several other participants on the Forum also use it.  It is available online from dealers of beer and wine making supplies.

As I recall IllinoisCheeseHead once mentioned that he was making his own starting cultures.  I use raw milk, I use DVS (freeze dried cultures), I use lysozyme and I heat my milk in about 30 minutes or so and have not had these problems.  I have also read Caldwell's book Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking about five times and follow her guidelines.  I have not had the problems that ICH mentions.

My suggestion?  Ditch the starting cultures and go back to DVS cultures and add them in accordance with Caldwell's guidelines.  Use lysozyme (diluted and added to the milk as it is poured into the vat) and get the temperatures up more quickly.  Do this and your problems will likely go away.  If they don't then I'd question your milk supply. 

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

These are all good suggestions.  Thank you so much.

Te type of bacteria that causes late blooming would not be killed or even impacted, as I understand it, with low temp pasteurization and I am pretty sure any type unless UP.  I think my problem was the AC vent and perhaps I need to clean the entire kitchen before making cheese. 

Sailor con Queso has posted several postings about this one

Clostridium is a natural soil inhabitant and is not normally found in water. It can be airborne for short distances and can transfer from clothing, dogs, windborne dust, etc. Contamination in cheese is usually from a hygiene problem. Since Clostridium occurs as spores, a little extra attention to detail when cleaning and sanitizing goes a long way. Holdbac LC does a very good job

Since I got two cheeses with the same issue from two different sources, then the issue must be me.  I think I am going to try cleaning the entire kitchen and using no rinse germicides such as Sani Rinse.  The truth is that making cheese it to create a favorable environment for things to grow and that means good and bad.  I am hoping that making these changes and using Lysozyme or Holdbac LC is the trick.  I have a question out to an expert on how to use Holdbac LC with starter culture.

Thank you so much for the feedback.

[Sailor Con Queso]

AC and heating vents can definitely be a source of airborne contamination. I would suggest closing the problem vent(s) or just turning off the AC while you are making cheese.

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

I did.  They are permanently closed in the kitchen now.

I sterilize everything to death for sure but I guess Air borne and the floors were not taken care of.  Now they are. 

Let's see what happens over the next few weeks.  Most of the cheeses look really good and the ones I opened that did not have a problem were really good tasting and not dry at all.

AC4 everyone who responded

[Sailor Con Queso]

There are at least 3 different formulations including Holdbac-LC which contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Holdbac is not a starter bacteria so just add the powder at the same time you add your other bacteria. Over the next few weeks, the Lactobacillus rhamnosus will produce small quantities of Nyacin, a natural antibiotic that helps control unwanted bacteria, especially gram positives.

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

Excellent.  Thank you.

Will do

It is an expensive bacteria and a short shelf life so I was hoping to be able to cultivate it but it is even more expensive to throw the cheese out .

Thanks

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

Sailor, one last question.

It does look like you can use it on any type of cheese.  Are there any types of cheeses that I should avoid using Holdbac-LC?

Thanks

[Sailor Con Queso]

I do not use it on Blue Cheeses, but that is just my preference. I don't do bloomy rinds like Brie but I don't see a down side to using it. Probably a waste of time on fresh cheeses.

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

Thanks. 

I am placing an order now

[qdog1955]

The clostridium contamination I had problems with was from silage and silage fed cows, especially a problem in winter and the pasteurization will not kill the spoors. All the cleaning in the world won't solve that problem.
Qdog

[IllinoisCheeseHead]

Hi Sailor,

I spoke to a contact at Danisco about Holdbac and he mentioned that I could also be dealing with wild Propionibacteria.  If that is the case, he said that Holdbac would have no effect.  I did find some references that would support his statements and it is making me wonder if I am just being silly by not low temp pasteurize my milk.  Am I being hardheaded here?

If I low temp pasteurize, I should be able to damage the wild bacteria to the point of not killing it all but allowing the bacteria I inoculate with have a head start.  I mentioned to him that I create starter culture and he was rather impressed that I do that and I am not a professional.  I told him I learn from Sailor

Sailor --> He also suggested that instead of the holdbac-LC I choose holdback-YM-C to cover the potential yeast problem for the cheeses I make.  What do you think?

So what shall I do?.  Shall I always low temp pasteurize? And if so, I would need to find a way to lower the milk temperature quickly which I guess I can use ice.

I am also attaching all the literature he sent me.  His recommendation on dosage was 2 DCU.

Thanks.