266 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



253. Acid flavors. A cheese with an acid flavor has 

 a pronounced sour smell and taste. This is caused by 

 the over-development of acid which may be due to any 

 of the following causes : (a) receiving milk at the factory 

 which is sour or has too high development of acid; (6) 

 using too much starter; (c) ripening the milk too much 

 before adding rennet ; (d) not firming the curd sufficiently 

 in the whey before removing the latter; (e) developing 

 too much acid in the whey before it is removed ; (/) re- 

 taining too much moisture in the curd. 



The trouble can be reduced or eliminated by one 

 or more of the following precautions : (a) receiving 

 only clean, sweet milk at the cheese factory; (6) main- 

 taining the proper relation between the moisture and 

 acidity; (c) adding the rennet at the proper acidity; 

 (d) using less starter; (e) adding the rennet extract so 

 that there will be sufficient time to firm the curd before 

 the acid has developed to such a stage that it will be 

 necessary to draw the whey; (/) producing the proper 

 final water-content in the newly made cheese. 



254. Sweet or fruity flavors. These are the sweet 

 flavors characteristic of strawberry, raspberry and the 

 like. Such flavors are very objectionable and usually 

 increase with the age of the cheese. They appear to 

 be caused by : (a) carrying both milk and whey in the 

 same cans without properly cleaning them ; (b) expos- 

 ing milk near hog-pens where whey is fed; (c) dirty 

 whey tanks at the cheese factory; (d) micro-organisms 

 which get into the milk through any unclean conditions. 



These troubles can be controlled : (a) if milk and whey 

 must be carried in the same cans, the cans should be 

 emptied immediately on arrival at the farm and thor- 

 oughly washed and scalded; (6) the whey vat at the 



