38 EiErORT OF THE BACTERIOLOGIST OF THE 



culiar flavor and did not seem to develop any more upon stand- 

 ing. 



II. BITTER FLAVOR IN NEUFCHATEL CHEESE. 



The bitterness in Nenfcliatel cheese which is here described 

 should not be confused with the well-known bitter flavor in milk 

 and cream. This latter is often produced in summer by the ac- 

 tivity of digesting bacteria which byenzym action break down 

 the chemical compounds of the milk into simple ones having a 

 bitter flavor; and in winter by a different class which seem to 

 thrive at temperatures lower than those favorable to the ordi- 

 nary acid forming germs and produce the bitter flavor as one of 

 the by-products of their metabolism. In either of these cases 

 the objectionable flavor appears in the liquid. 



In the case to be described the milk gave no outward sign of 

 being abnormal and it was only when the manufacture of the 

 Neufchatel had progressed to the stage of draining and aerating 

 the curd that the bitterness became apparent. Since but a 

 single outbreak has come to our notice a detailed description 

 would hardly be called for except for the fact that the methods 

 emp'oyed to get the maker out of his trouble were very simple, 

 and can be easily applied to many of the other troubles which 

 perplex the factoryman. 



A sample of intensely bitter Neufchatel cheese was received 

 in October, 1899. The maker stated that he had repeatedly 

 scrubbed and scalded out everything that came in contact with 

 the milk after it was received from the farm, but the trouble 

 had persisted and ruined his product. The factory was visited 

 and everything found acceptably clean; but the conditions for 

 controlling temperature were not good. However, the tempera- 

 ture at that time was not unfavorable, and the trouble could 

 hardly be ascribed to this cause. The milk that had been used 

 for the Neufchatel was that of a single patron who had been 

 selected because of the high fat content of his product. 



