Author Topic: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside  (Read 5763 times)

flip.tiffy

  • Guest
Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« on: March 14, 2011, 05:43:36 PM »
I'm having an odd problem lately with some of my cheeses (except Cheddar, odd) after they've been vacuum packed and have been aging. After about a month, there is visible liquid that I suspect is seeping whey from the actual cheese.

Out of curiosity, I opened up one of the cheeses and the smell of the liquid was quite gross smelling..almost a semi-rotten smell. Also there was white "buildup" around the edges of the cheese and cannot tell what it is.. possibly mold of some sort? Although it's pretty wet from the liquid.

Any ideas as to what I am experiencing? My initial thought is I'm not keeping it out to form the rind long enough.

Thanks for any help/tips/advice.

FRANCOIS

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2011, 07:03:41 PM »
For some cheeses, especially in larger formats, whey seepage is anavoidable and yes, it is gross.  For home scale cheeses you should be able to achieve dry bags by just drying the cheese longer.  That is if there is no excess whey trapped in the cheese itself (i.e. you cooked the cord long enough and there wasn't any big chunks of curd that got hooped up).

flip.tiffy

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2011, 07:57:49 PM »
Interesting.

I feel I've cooked the curds properly for both cheeses that are having the problem (Pepper Jack and Havarti). Still confuses my why I've never had the problem with my cheddar. Only thing I can think is I'm pressing my cheddar with considerably more weight than the other cheeses, which obviously expels more whey.

I'll open up the two cheeses and dry pat them down and re-seal. Sounds like my only option. I'm afraid the whey will spoil the cheese.

Thanks for the insight FRANCOIS.

FRANCOIS

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2011, 08:07:10 PM »
Cheddar is pressed under higher weights then milled (or cooked/stirred significantly).  There is naturtally much less free moisture in cheddar than a havarti.

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2011, 12:44:24 AM »
How long are you ageing your cheese before vacuum packing it?  I've found that most of my cheeses need at least 6-8 weeks of natural rind formation before going in the vacuum sealer or I get whey seepage.

flip.tiffy

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2011, 01:02:29 AM »
I've not ever heard of natural aging before vacuum sealing until today quite honestly. At this point I don't even think I can since my cheese cave is a mini-fridge ranging from 50-80% humidity within an hour interval.

FRANCOIS

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2011, 01:25:13 AM »
6-8 weeks seems excessive.  You may not be pressig hard enough for long enough, I would expect 2 weeks drying to bag.  As a point of comparison commercially made yellows are typically pressed under so much pressure that they are bagged right out of the press, they are already at final moisture.

zenith1

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2011, 11:24:59 PM »
My experience is similar to Karen's, I always wait ~ 1 month  before proceeding regardless of the type of cheese I'm vacuum packing.

GotGoats

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2011, 02:05:24 PM »
OK ... this thread is very enlightening!

If you are waiting 4-6 weeks to vac pack or wax the cheese - where is it aging? In the kitchen? In the cheese cave?

How often do you wipe it down?

If I let a cheese sit in my kitchen a week it's going to have molds growing on it, at least with my current humidity. Probably even in my cheese cave, though I've tried to wipe it down pretty well with bleach water.

Tomer1

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2011, 03:39:23 PM »
"If I let a cheese sit in my kitchen a week it's going to have molds growing on it"
Then wash it off with a heavy brine and dry.
Its risky letting a cheese sit like that to accelerate moisture lost,
It can crack and then you really have no choice but bag ASAP.

I wonder if It might be possible to include a paper towel inside the pack to soak up any whey expelled?
 

linuxboy

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2011, 03:42:02 PM »
Quote
I wonder if It might be possible to include a paper towel inside the pack to soak up any whey expelled?
Wouldn't do that much, would still have moisture on the surface. What you'd need to do if you wanted to do that is build a little pack that has cross-linked polyacrilamide in a cloth or membrane. Easier to just dry it out IMHO.

Offline Boofer

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Lakewood, Washington
  • Posts: 5,015
  • Cheeses: 344
  • Contemplating cheese
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #11 on: May 26, 2011, 03:15:36 PM »
If you are waiting 4-6 weeks to vac pack or wax the cheese - where is it aging? In the kitchen? In the cheese cave?
If I let a cheese sit in my kitchen a week it's going to have molds growing on it, at least with my current humidity.
I've had whey collect in a vacuum bag even after the cheese has been drying and ripening. This has happened with cheeses that were in the cave or out at room temperature. I just open the bag, dry it with clean paper towels, and rebag.

I've tried to wipe it down pretty well with bleach water.
:o  ???  :o
Why not utilize a little vinegar & salt or brine? Anything associated with bleach does not seem palatable...or natural, whereas vinegar and salt are quite wholesome.

Just a thought.

-Boofer-
Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Vacuum Packing - Whey seeping Inside
« Reply #12 on: May 27, 2011, 01:38:45 PM »
I air dry my cheeses in a cabinet - if I left them out in the kitchen, the cats would eat them.  After they are dry to the touch, they go in my cave, which is a mini fridge that stays at 52-54 degrees Fahrenheit.  I don't have a humidity gauge, but moisture collects on the floor, so I think it is fairly high.

If mold appears, I use coarse salt to scrub it off, then use apple cider vinegar and a cloth to wash off any residue.  Raw ACV seems to do the best at preventing regrowth of mold.