Swelling Pressed Cheese - During Aging, Yeast Infection

[nzchick]

So far i have thrown out aprox 15kgs of cheeses! cheese after cheese is swelling,(some much more obvious than others) and when cut open have large holes and yeasty smell and taste.
Now when this first started happening I thought it could be the raw milk i was using so decided to pasteurize to see if that helped. (65*C-145*F-30min) And made two more goudas. These again had holes and were very yeasty. So Since I had been using cultured buttermilk as my starter i decided it surely must be that- so i went and brought some freeze dried starter culture. And I have just cut open my gouda that has been brining for 12hrs and it was looking suspicious- and yes that has the same problem again.
Help! I do not know what to do now? Is the contamination from stuff in the milk that the pasteurizing can not stop?
I am assuming my cleanliness is not the issue out of 10 or so batches I thought I would have seen some better results!

[Tomer1]

Its not the milk since you sterilized it,
How are you making your starter? try using a direct set culture and see if that may eliminate the problem.

[linuxboy]

Is the contamination from stuff in the milk that the pasteurizing can not stop?

Somewhat unlikely, but possible. Pasteurization doesn't kill everything, especially if your population is large.

am assuming my cleanliness is not the issue out of 10 or so batches I thought I would have seen some better results!

Most likely cause is cleanliness or ambient flora. If you cleaned the same way 10 times and used the same type of cleaners 10 times, then you should expect the same outcome those 10 times. Clean and bleach bomb anything, and look for biofilm and scratches, and replace equipment if you need to.

[Cheese Head]

Just to add, sounds like a yeast infection, per chance are you making bread in the same location?

Our Wiki: Body Defects, Mechanical Holes might also be of some help.

Pictures if possible would also help. Also if you search the forum on Yeast Bread you'll get several threads that topic.

[nzchick]

well I was just a bit tired to go through my cleaning last night.. The first few cheeses I used the baby-bottle steralizing tablets and boiled water/ xtra hot water (our tap water is often 70C). All pots used are boiled after using and then agin immediatly before getting the milk from the Vat.
Then I finally got round to getting some bleach so have been using bleach on most things as well as boilding/steaming etc as above.
Here is pic of my very worst cheese- it had been air drying for a few days...


Also I have given up my bread making totally while making cheese. I only have two more weeks till the cows dry off and it I wanted to get some cheeses done...

[smilingcalico]

LB and John are steering you in the right direction.  I recall another member had a similar issue if she left her windows open during cheesemaking because she had so much clover growing around her house which is associated with propionic bacteria.  That you mention a yeasty smell leads me to believe John is correct, but it also makes me consider outside influences. Do you by any chance live by a bakery?

[nzchick]

I live on a dairy farm ages away from anything! lol
I thought about that and I keep my window closed lol! I always keep the lid on my pot when making the cheese and it is only taken off for adding ingredients and then it is quickly replaced, until the end when mixing etc where I could not do it with the lid on.
Should I buy some milk and do a tester batch to see if it is enviromental vs milk?

I am making a few batches of feta to lift my 'cheese spirits' a little.. that always seems to have a decent/edible result! 

[Sailor Con Queso]

Propionic makes roundish regular holes. These are very irregular and indicate a contamination. How does the cheese taste? That is one indicator of the problem.

[nzchick]

I should add.. the picture above I am pretty sure is from unpasteurized and this one is my gouda from yesterday-pasteurized. I do see smaller more round holes aswell as the bigger ones.

[nzchick]

I think they smell like beer. Other contamination, like what?

[Sailor Con Queso]

I would guess that you are getting a yeast contamination.

[sstrantz]

Couple thoughts I have...

-Are you using cheesecloth? 
-Are you using cloth towels during your make - either on your hands or anywhere else in the process?

One way that you can spread yeast infection is through using cloth that has been used, or machine washed with, items that have been used in every-day operations around the kitchen/home.

When using cloth items in cheesemaking, it is best to start out with new towels/cloths and dedicate them only for your cheesemaking and no other use.  Don’t wash them together with any other items from your household (wash separately), and when done washing/drying, you can set them aside with your other equipment, perhaps in a zip-lock bag, to be used only for cheesemaking.

For myself, I decided that I was only going to use paper toweling rather than cloth towels while making cheese.  I do use cheesecloth, however, and do wash and re-use it.  I just do them separately from any other wash.  I rinse first in cold water, then wash them hot, occasionally using a little bleach.  Just need to be sure the bleach is all rinsed out!!!


Not sure if any of that applies but thought I’d put it out there just in case it could be helpful.

Sue -  AKA ~Leah’s Mom~

[Sailor Con Queso]

I too would suspect your cheesecloth. You can always dip the cloth in boiling water or a sanitizer like Star San just before using.

I don't recall whether this was asked, but do you bake bread or brew? Do you do that on the same days you make cheese? That can be a source of contamination.

Like LB said, clean everything.

[nzchick]

ok i will try and do another batch with supa clean everything. I usually bleach my cheese cloth and boil it- last couple I have skipped the boil part for rinsing it in boiling hot water.
I have another cheese just about to come out of the brine (i made before i started this thread) and i expect it is just going to the chickens too....
Will let you know how I go
Thanks heaps for all the help!

[nzchick]

Another thing I thought of... could it be our water even if the water has been boiled? We have untreated creek water
I thought this was unlikely because some of the cheeses I made were farmhouse cheddars so much less water contact than a gouda..
I have just finished a 2nd bleaching of the whole kitchen and am pasteurizing yet another pot as we speak. If this does not work i think ill be close to giving up!
Chickens enjoyed the last gouda