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GENERAL CHEESE MAKING BOARDS (Specific Cheese Making in Boards above) => STANDARD METHODS - Aging Cheese => Topic started by: catdance62 on June 30, 2012, 11:15:56 AM

Title: Swelling, Yeast Contamination - Causes & Remedies
Post by: catdance62 on June 30, 2012, 11:15:56 AM
I raise dairy goats and have been making chevre successfully for several years now. I have also had moderate success making
brie and some hard cheeses. HOwever, last week I attempted a blue cheese and got yeast contamination (cheese "rose", became
gassy, full of holes etc.) I chalked it up to not sanitizing EVERYTHING well enough and using all those different cultures some yeast
got in there somehow. Anyways, fast forward to 2 days ago. I go to make some chevre in my usual fashion and it too got yeast
contamination!! Now, I have NEVER had this before, and I made the chevre in exactly the same way as always. I do not make
bread or use yeast of any kind (we do not eat wheat, or most grains of any kind--millet and quinoa on occasion). Can anyone
shed light on what is happening here? I do not pasteurize my milk, and never have, so I don't think that it might be a problem
with my goats--I feed and milk in the same manner as I always have. If anyone can help me, please do so.
Title: Re: Swelling, Yeast Contamination - Causes & Remedies
Post by: Tomer1 on June 30, 2012, 11:45:58 AM
As your "dairy section" hasnt changed perhaps start from the end,  Do a complete run down on your kitchen with bleach or any other sanitizing agent of choice and see if that fixes things.
Title: Re: Swelling, Yeast Contamination - Causes & Remedies
Post by: Oberhasli on June 30, 2012, 05:50:16 PM
I raise goats as well and it may be one of your milkers may have mastitis (sub-clinical or clinical).  With sub-clinical mastitis you can't visibly see signs that clinical would show like an inflamed udder and stringy milk stream.  You can usually find a lab through your vet that will test milk for bacteria.  You could always try pasteurizing the next batch of milk and making chevre and see if it still gets bubbly, spongy and yeasty smelling. 

Bonnie

Title: Re: Swelling, Yeast Contamination - Causes & Remedies
Post by: linuxboy on June 30, 2012, 07:11:50 PM
Whenever contamination occurs, it's a good opportunity to analyze all the possible contamination sources. You might not have changed the milking routine, but you might have dumped more on a compost pile, and a gust of wind carried in some yeast. Or if you are machine milking, it may have sucked in something from the air, or the filter might have some stuck yeast in it. Or your cleaning schedule this one time missed a spot.

All sorts of possibilities. This time of year, fruit is ripening, and there's generally more yeast in the air as the yeast has sugars to eat from the fruit.
Title: Re: Swelling, Yeast Contamination - Causes & Remedies
Post by: catdance62 on July 01, 2012, 12:06:26 PM
thank you everyone for the suggestions. I am going to pasteurize, sanitize, and chase this thing down!!
Title: Re: Swelling, Yeast Contamination - Causes & Remedies
Post by: Boofer on July 02, 2012, 02:05:41 AM
All sorts of possibilities. This time of year, fruit is ripening, and there's generally more yeast in the air as the yeast has sugars to eat from the fruit.
That's a good heads-up for something I never considered. I normally keep a good bit of fruit around. It doesn't ever over-ripen and fester but it's something else to bear in mind. Thanks, Pav.

-Boofer-