"Gassy" Curds 265 



storage (30 to 35 F.) and to leave them there for 

 several months till fully ripe. This practice is par- 

 ticularly common with cheese intended for winter or 

 export trade. During the early part of the curing 

 process the cheeses should be turned upon the shelves 

 every day until a sufficient amount of water has evapo- 

 rated, so that they no longer tend to lose their shape. 

 Difficulties likely to occur in cheddar cheese mak- 

 ing. The chief difficulty in cheddar cheese making 

 comes from the presence in the milk df germs 

 which produce fermentations that are undesirable 

 These fermentations usually begin during the cook- 

 ing process, and continue through cheddaring. Or- 

 dinarily they evolve a considerable amount of gas, 

 causing what are known as floating or gassy curds, 

 and are usually accompanied by disagreeable odors 

 and flavors. The formation of the gas in the curd 

 gives it a sponge -like texture, and when the par- 

 ticles of curd are cut across they are seen to be 

 full of minute holes, the condition usually denom- 

 inated pin-holes. The best means of treating this 

 trouble is, of course, prevention; but even with the 

 utmost care by makers of experience, milk contain- 

 ing the germs of these fermentations will find its 

 way into the vat. 



In many cases the trouble from gassy and tainted 

 milk is caused by the milk of one or two dairies, 

 and in exceptional cases the milk of a single cow 

 may infect a whole vat. The particular dairies or 

 even cows that are causing the trouble may usually be 

 detected by employing one of the fermentation tests 



