38 REPORT OF THE BACTERIOLOGIST OF THE 
culiar flavor and did not seem to develop any more upon stand- 
ing. 
II. BITTER FLAVOR. IN NEUFCHATEL CHEESE. 
The bitterness in Neufchatel cheese which is here described 
should not be confused with the well-known bitter flavor in milk 
and cream. This latter is often produced in summer by the ac- 
tivity of digesting bacteria which by enzym action break down 
the chemical compounds of the milk into simple ones having a 
bitter flavor; and in winter by a different class which seem to 
thrive at temperatures lower than those favorable to the ordi- 
nary acid forming germs and produce the bitter flavor as one of 
the by-products of their metabolism. In either of these cases 
the objectionable flavor appears in the liquid. 
In the case to be described the milk gave no outward sign of 
being abnormal and it was only when the manufacture of the 
Neufchatel had progressed to the stage of draining and aerating 
the curd that the bitterness became apparent. Since but a 
single outbreak has come to our notice a detailed description 
would hardly be called for except for the fact that the methods 
employed to get the maker out of his trouble were very simple, 
and can be easily applied to many of the other troubles which 
perplex the factoryman. 
A sample of intensely bitter Neufchatel cheese was received 
in October, 1899. The maker stated that he had repeatedly 
scrubbed and scalded out everything that came in contact with 
the milk after it was received from the farm, but the trouble 
had persisted and ruined his product. The factory was visited 
and everything found acceptably clean; but the conditions for 
controlling temperature were not good. However, the tempera- 
ture at that time was not unfavorable, and the trouble could 
hardly be ascribed to this cause. The milk that had been used 
for the Neufchatel was that of a single patron who had been 
selected because of the high fat content of his product. 
