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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => Problems - Questions - Problems - Questions? => Topic started by: ellenspn on September 20, 2011, 08:43:48 PM
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I'm just really getting started learning to make cheese. I've had some luck with feta, but my husband likes cheese like cheddar and alpine types.
I'm allergic to penicillin :'( so I have to avoid the blues and the brie-type. One of my problems, is looking at a cheese with outside mold and bacteria on it that isn't obvious it's Stilton or brie. White fuzzy mold is obvious, but what about some of the rest I should avoid? :o
Is there a really good, solid beginner book out there geared for <2 gallons of milk? I have Ricki Carroll's but it's thin like whey. I'm looking for something with more solid science to it without getting into 25 gallon vat sizes of milk.
Also what sanitizer is recommended?
Thanks! ::)
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I'm allergic to penicillin :'( so I have to avoid the blues and the brie-type.
Is this confirmed when eating blues and bries? Because blues and bries with modern strains do not have penicillin.
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I'm allergic to penicillin :'( so I have to avoid the blues and the brie-type.
Is this confirmed when eating blues and bries? Because blues and bries with modern strains do not have penicillin.
Bries for sure (whaaa! :'( ) but I can't be positive about blues as I haven't particularly cared for them in the past. I'm talking about an anaphylactic reaction, restriction breathing and hives :(
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how awful. I think I'd still go for a brie de meaux and have someone stick me with epi afterward (I'm only kind of kidding).
I think you're allergic to something other than penicillin, because p candidum and roqueforti, they just don't produce it. And if so, there's no way to predict what to avoid. Just have to try and see what produces a reaction or not. You could do this through a skin test, or consumption.
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Ellenspn,
As a former microbiologist, I can tell you that the blue mold strains used in cheese are not the same as those used for penicillin. I have never heard of anyone having a reaction to blue cheese just because of being allergic to penicillin. Now that doesn't mean that you can't be allergic to molds in general but the type of reaction is very different. A reaction to penicillin can be anaphylactic in nature and life threatening. A reaction to mold is generally (but not always) much milder with hives, skin rashes, sinusitis, and similar symptoms.
I'm with LB. Enjoy and keep the EPI handy. ;)
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Ellenspn,
As a former microbiologist, I can tell you that the blue mold strains used in cheese are not the same as those used for penicillin. I have never heard of anyone having a reaction to blue cheese just because of being allergic to penicillin. Now that doesn't mean that you can't be allergic to molds in general but the type of reaction is very different. A reaction to penicillin can be anaphylactic in nature and life threatening. A reaction to mold is generally (but not always) much milder with hives, skin rashes, sinusitis, and similar symptoms.
I'm with LB. Enjoy and keep the EPI handy. ;)
I guess I'll have to try again with some of the cheeses. Because I do love brie. And yes I do have my epipen ;)
Of course this still leaves my other questions unanswered ::)
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We've had many threads on books. I'm not the best person to ask, too biased.
Sanitizer, you can do bleach, a no-rinse like Starsan, iodine, etc. There's no one "best"
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I found the books forum now and I'm sure I'm still many many other discussions that are scattered.
I can see this is going to seriously add to my book collection...I thought weaving books were bad ;)
There are about a million weaving books out there on various aspects of the craft.
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I often wondered about the penicillium molds. My last employer refused to do bloomie cheeses because they feared it would forever be in the environment and throw off false positives on our Delvo-P tests. Guys, what molds were specifically used to isolate penicillin?
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Fleming worked with p notatum. Commonly now, the bio reactors use strains of p chrysogenum. It's fairly rare among the penicilliums to produce penicillin.
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Ellen,
I too am allergic to penicillin, but have found I can eat Brie and blues with no problems!
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Penicillin - is grown on melons or bread, butt commercially grown on cantaloupe to make the pure penicillin for medicine
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butt commercially grown on cantaloupe
You mean chrysogenum was first isolated from a melon, right? Because bioreactors don't use melon as the medium... inside is modified corn steep liquor that's aerated and agitated, then the entire thing is refined after the production batch, or is fermented continuously.
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Your Right the stronger strain was found on the melons
Thanks linixboy
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Linuxboy, Jack of all trades, master of all of them.
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Linuxboy, Jack of all trades, master of all of them.
And possessing a photographic memory, or so it appears. A)
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You guys are awesome! ;D
Went to my local farmers market and bought some triple layer brie with almonds and apricots and yes you guessed it, the small nibble I had last night had no effect and the larger nibble today was the same.
Which means for the last mumble mumble years I've been avoiding it thinking I was allergic to all Pennicillium species :-[
I know that I've had a reaction in the past with brie, but then I lived in a house with a basement that was wet and has about 100 years worth of mold growth in it. I may have some sensitivity, but as long as I don't have it on a day my allergies are giving me hell or I've been exposed to large amounts of mold I should be fine. Have epipen will travel!
I have plans to actually make and brine some feta this weekend which means I'll have to break open a piece of commercial feta in order to keep me from eating it all before it's ready :D
Right now I'm deep in reading through the 200 recipes and the American Farmstead Cheese books. So I'm hoping to order some cultures this weekend to supplant all the little packets in my freezer. At least I still have some lipase for now.