I made chèvre 8 days ago and have kept the whey in the fridge. There is a small maybe half inch of white at the top of the jar. Did I end up getting solids in the whey? What does this mean for preservation and safe use? I'm new to this and don't know if this is normal. I hope I can still use the whey.
Probably some sort of mold growth after 8 days. Have you smelled it to see if it smells off? I'm assuming you didn't salt it to make it into brine right?
The white was there all along. It smells great, doesn't look like mold. No, I did not salt.
It's fat (or at least, that's what it is when I store whey and it looks exactly like that).
Thanks. So that makes me feel better to know it's fat. I'm guessing that doesn't affect longevity. Can I ask you how long you store yours in the fridge?
Ha ha! I made cheese today with whey I collected 2 weeks ago. It was dead :-( Previously I'd only waited a day or so. Not actually sure what happened in fact. I suspect I forgot to rinse the bottle after I sanitized it (I use iodophor). I can't imagine that the cultures would die so quickly. Sorry, I don't have good info for you!
If you are intending to use it as a starter 1-3 days is around the limit after that the bacteria have used up all the food available and start to die off. If you want to use it as starter beyond that, freeze it as soon as it is collected.
As a long time homebrewer, I'm used to yeast's amazing ability to hang around for years without any food. It's hard to get my head moved around (although it's really nice to have the ability to freeze cultures!)