Influence of starter incubation temperature of thirty-two degrees centigrade upon the associate organisms and slit openness in Cheddar cheese

Slit openness In Cheddar cheese ss a texture defect of some concern to the cheese Industry. This texture defect lowers the quality of the cheese, making a less desirable product for the market. Therefore, an economic problem arises with the occurrence of slits in Cheddar cheese. It is believed that the associate organisms, Leuconostoc citrovorum and Leuconostoc dextranicum, present in a commercial cheese culture may be a source of slit openness. By reducing their presence in the culture, it was felt that a better textured cheese could be produced without impairing the composition or flavor of the cheese.

The optimum growth temperature for L. citrovorum>/u> and L. dextranicum is lower than the optimum for the predominating lactic acid producing organisms, Streptococcus lactis and/or Streptococcus cremoris, in the commercial culture. By incubating the culture at a higher temperature than is commonly practiced by cheese plants, it was hoped that the number of associate organisms could be reduced.