228 



CREAM-RIPENING AND STARTERS 



contain a promiscuous variety of organisms. It is for this 

 reason that they are commonly designated as pure cultures. 



Extensive work done by Hammer and Bailey of the Iowa 

 Station not only supports what has just been said regarding 

 commercial cultures, but also goes to prove that while the 

 organism which predominates in a good culture or starter is the 

 common lactic acid organism (Streptococcus lacticus), there 

 must also be associated with this, an organism or organisms, 

 which will develop volatile flavor and aroma-producing acids. 

 Hammer says that it seems that there is no longer any question 

 that starters are mixed cultures, and that even a pure lactic 

 acid culture sent out from a laboratory very soon becomes a 

 mixed culture containing volatile acid-producing organisms. 

 These findings by Hammer and Bailey are supported by the work 

 done by Storch in Denmark, and Beckout and Ott de Vries in 

 Holland. 



