Feta - pH Before Brining

[george13]

I have before me two beautiful feta wheels (about 8 lbs each) that were made using goat milk, and for the life of me, I can't get the ph below 4.9, and it is now day three that they have been curing at ambient temperature.  I guess a couple of critical events are taking place here, and I am not sure if the cheese is salvegable or not?
1st, it's late lactation, and I may have under shot my cultures when adding them.
2nd, the temperature here in the Northeast has dropped, and my room temperature is now 58-61 ( during previous trials it was around 68-75).
I just rubbed it with salt, and most likely place it in brine later tonight.  Would it be safe to keep, my previous cheeses would hit 4.3 - 4.6 before I would place them in brine.  This one just lingers around 4.88-4.93.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[mtncheesemaker]

I'm not sure that I'm understanding your question. I make feta pretty often and don't use a pH meter. After draining, I let the cheese (salted and cut into 3" blocks) "harden up" either at cool room temp or in the fridge for a couple of days. Then I put them in the brine. I think that a brined cheese is pretty safe from contamination as long as the cheese is submerged in the brine.
What is your fear exactly? That the cheese will melt in the brine? Or that it won't be safe to eat?
Sorry if I'm mis-reading your question.
Pam

[george13]

No problem at all Pam, I'll try to explain my concers.  By hitting a low enough pH, I  ensure that the environment is hostile enough that unwanted bacteria will not be able to survive.  If my pH remains high, it is a sign that my good bacteria (culture) either did not consume all of the lactose and or died off prematurely, leaving some food for possible unwanted bacteria.  There are certain bacteria types that can survive salinity (brine), so I would rather make sure the acidity level is low enough to keep them from flurishing from the start.  The good news is that today I dropped to a 4.75, which makes me think I should be safe to go into the brine.  Thank you for the information you have provided.

[dthelmers]

In canning, the target is 5.4 or lower, so I'm comfortable with my cheeses at this range. I never get this low with my cheddars and have had no problems; I don't think they've gone lower than 5.0