STARTERS 



265 



On the other hand, it is equally undesirable to carry the 

 souring process too far. After the casein is coagulated the lactic 

 acid bacteria seem to lose their maximum efficiency as acid 

 producers, they weaken, become inactive or degenerate and 

 permit other species to gain the ascendancy. The starter loses 

 its fine flavor and its snap, yeasty fermentations and casein- 

 digesting changes set in, which make the starter unfit and un- 

 safe for use. It is generally conceded that .80 to .90 per cent 

 acid represents the maximum acidity to which it is safe to allow 

 starter to ripen when ordinary commercial cultures of lactic 

 acid bacteria are used. This does not necessarily hold good 

 with cultures of Bacillus bulgaricus. This organism is capable 

 of developing a much higher acid without degenerating and 

 without depreciating the aroma and flavor of the cream. Bacil- 

 lus bulgaricus has not as yet been thoroughly tried out in con- 

 nection with cream ripening and its desirability as a starter 

 organism is as yet undetermined. 



Amount of Starter to Use. For directions concerning the 

 proper amount of starter to add to cream the reader is referred 

 to the chapter on Cream Ripening. 



Scoring the Starter. In order to express the quality of the 

 starter, aside from the per cent of acid it contains, in more con- 

 crete terms, it is desirable to use a figure scale, or score card. 

 This is especially desirable for the use of the student and for 

 experimental data. The following score card is recommended 

 for this purpose : 



STARTER SCORE CARD 



Name, 



Date, 



