CHEDDAR CHEESE-MAKING 189 



of smell and taste. Many of the bad flavors in the cheese 

 can be traced to the poor quality of the milk. One of 

 the worst qualities in milk and cheese is the presence of 

 gas-producing organisms. 1 Any milk which shows gassy 

 fermentation should be rejected, for it is difficult to make 

 cheese from this and at best there will be a large loss 

 during the manufacturing process. The cheese may have 

 a bad flavor and develop " pin-holes " and in extreme 

 cases may puff up like a ball. The person receiving the 

 milk should talk to the farmers or dairy-men about the 

 proper care of the utensils and milk. He must see that 

 the cans are kept clean. One very bad practice is to 

 deliver milk and take home whey in the same cans. The 

 cans, as they are brought back from the cheese factory 

 full of whey, are often left in the barn or near a hog-pen 

 until the whey is fed. Unless such cans are emptied 

 immediately on returning to the farm and then rinsed 

 out with cold water, thoroughly washed and scalded, bad 

 flavors may develop in the cheese. It is thought that 

 this causes " fruity " or sweet flavor, which resembles that 

 of fruits such as raspberries, strawberries or pineapples. 



194. Ripening the milk. A slight development of 

 acidity is required : (a) to obtain the formation of a firm 

 curd; and (b) to establish immediate dominance of a 

 desirable type of lactic organism which will produce the 

 large amount of acid required later in the cheddaring 

 process. The development of this acidification before 

 the addition of rennet is known as the ripening of the 

 milk. The extent of ripening advised by different 



1 Russell, H. L., Cheese as affected by gas-producing bacteria, 

 Wis. Exp. Sta. Kept. 1895, pages 139-146. 



Marshall, C. E., Gassy curd and cheese, Mich. Exp. Sta. 

 Bui. 183, 1900. 



