BACTERIA IN CHEESE 249 



The flavors are not due to the enzyme digestion but to the 

 end products of decomposition. In the case of this cheese, as 

 in the hard cheeses, no positive knowledge is at hand as to the 

 exact source of the flavor. That it is not due to the mold alone 

 is certain from the fact that the softened cheese may be nearly 

 tasteless, if a pure culture of mold has completed the ripening. 

 The peculiar Camembert flavor is beyond doubt associated with 

 some of the micro-organisms growing on or in the cheese. Bac- 



FIG. 65 CAMEMBERT CHEESE, CUT OPEN TO SHOW THE SOFTENING 

 OF THE CURD 



teria commonly grow upon the surface of the cheeses, producing, 

 late in the ripening, a red-brown color characteristic of many 

 good cheeses ; but some cheeses with an ideal flavor do not show 

 this red color, and hence it does not appear essential. These 

 reddish-brown areas appear chiefly where the layer of mold has 

 been rubbed or torn away. The Oidium lactis is certainly con- 

 cerned in the flavoring of the cheeses, at least in some cases, 

 for if the Oidium is too abundant the flavor is ruined, while, 

 if it grows moderately, the flavor is ideal. Apparently the flavor 



