Ripening of Soft Cheeses 423 



and moisture being present in greater amounts, they 

 allow a more rapid development of microorganisms, 

 and ripen more rapidly than the hard cheeses. The 

 bacteria and molds concerned are not the same in the 

 different varieties of cheese, some containing character- 

 istic species of molds, others of bacteria. 



The soft cheeses have their origin in Europe. They 

 have been manufactured in some localities for many 

 generations. The different conditions of moisture and 

 temperature in the different localities, and the differ- 

 ences in the composition of the milk itself, have led, to 

 the establishment of combinations of microorganisms 

 that may be characteristic of one locality but not of 

 another. For this reason, brands of the same variety 

 of cheese from different localities may show a very 

 marked divergence in taste and flavor. The soft cheeses 

 do not keep so well as the hard cheeses, and are not 

 so adapted for export trade. 



Because of the high prices commanded by the best 

 grades of soft cheeses, and, likewise, because of the grow- 

 ing demand for some of the brands in the United States, 

 attempts are being made here to develop the soft cheese 

 industry. Considerable progress has been made in this 

 direction by commercial concerns employing imported 

 cheese-makers, and much has been contributed by the 

 investigations at the Storrs (Connecticut) Experiment 

 Station. 



The work of microorganisms in the ripening of some 

 of the soft cheeses has been made clearer by the ex- 

 periments at the Storrs station on the manufacture of 

 Camembert cheese. The milk is heated to about 85° 



