FLAVORS FROM INCIPIENT DECAY 131 



if the process is allowed to go a little farther the taste of 

 putrefaction becomes too strong for any palate. Another 

 example is Limburger cheese, in which a strong flavor 

 of incipient putrefaction is produced by the development 

 of bacteria in the cheese mass. Any one who has ever 

 known the flavor or taste of Limburger cheese will easily 

 believe that it is incipient putrefaction. Other forms of 

 soft cheeses show the same feature in less degree. A 

 great variety of flavors and odors is found in the so-called 

 soft cheeses, nearly every one of which 

 represents a certain type of incipient pu- 

 trefaction. Even the hard cheeses show 

 this same characteristic, though there is 

 less similarity to putrefaction. Neverthe- 

 less the taste of the hard cheese is prob- ^^^- *^- Bacterium 

 ably, at least in part, due to the beginning ^^° ucing goo 

 of this process of chemical destruction 

 produced by bacteria. If the cheese has become over- 

 ripened, a very strong decayed taste may be apparent. 

 In the making of butter the same phenomenon occurs, for 

 the extremely delicate flavor of a high quality of butter 

 is due to the action of bacteria upon the cream before 

 the butter is made, and the butter flavor is thus one of 

 incipient decay (Fig. 60). It is one of the most exquisitely 

 delicate of all our food flavors, and is highly enjoyed by 

 all people. 



Vinegar 



Another example of a benefit derived from bacterial 

 action is in the manufacture of vinegar. This is a mate- 

 rial which, though not a real food, is used in considerable 



