CHEESES WITH SOUR-MILK FLAVOR 103 



curd is not sufficiently pressed, the masses become 

 mushy or pasty during the working process. The work- 

 ing is continued until the whole mass is uniformly 

 smooth and buttery. 



129. Storage. The draining and working processes 

 permit the contamination of the curd with organisms 

 from the air and from the apparatus. These are dis- 

 tributed throughout the mass. Air is also worked 

 thoroughly into the curd. Such a product spoils quickly. 

 Distributing houses find the Neufchatel trade uncertain 

 in volume from day to day, hence many of them store 

 the cheese in bulk and package only fast enough to fill 

 orders. This minimizes the loss due to spoilage. Such 

 curd may be packed into tubs and kept for considerable 

 time in cold storage. If molded for the retail trade, it 

 is more quickly perishable. When packed solidly in 

 mass, curd is largely protected from spoilage by the ex- 

 clusion of air and perhaps the quick exhaustion of free 

 oxygen through the respiration of the micro-organisms 

 present and by its acidity. This must be supplemented 

 by low temperature to reduce the loss to a minimum. 

 Even when spoilage begins, it is easily confined to the 

 slight growth of Oidium lactis or green mold and bacteria 

 on exposed areas. These can be removed with minimum 

 loss and damage to the mass. On the other hand, such 

 curd molded into the commercial package of 3 to 6 

 ounces and wrapped in paper, with tin-foil or carton for 

 protection, still presents enormously increased surface 

 for the growth of aerobic forms especially Oidium 

 lactis, green mold (Roquefort mold is the usual green 

 species) and accompanying bacteria. Curd in tubs may 

 be kept some days; in commercial packages lowering 

 of quality (flavor) begins almost at once. 



