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Written by Michael Mullan

About this article

This article is based on a paper, summarising many years of research, published in the International Journal of Dairy Technology. The paper “Mullan, W.M.A. (2000). Causes and control of early gas production in Cheddar cheese. International Journal of Dairy Technology. 53, 63-68” can be downloaded from the Wiley Interscience website. 

Currently (in 2010) many cheesemaking plants are experiencing open texture problems including unwanted slits/cracks in cheese due to unwanted gas production. Some of these problems are caused by the growth of thermophilic / thermoduric lactic acid bacteria in biofilms in pasteurizers. Normal caustic cleaning will not eliminate these and enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures are required.  While this contribution may not specifically deal with these problems there are many similarities and this area can be discussed further in the forums.
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Introduction

Early gas production in Cheddar cheese is a sporadic and recurrent problem. In this article the major causal agents of unwanted gas production are discussed and potential gas producing organisms in Cheddar cheese are identified. Many of these agents will also cause problems in other cheese varieties. Early gas production in Cheddar cheese results from a number of interacting factors including lactose and citrate levels in the curd, the temperature of curd/cheese during pressing and curing, the salt in moisture level in the cheese and the levels of gas-producing, non-starter lactic acid bacteria in the cheese. Note added in June 2010: Some of these problems can be caused by the growth of thermophilic / thermoduric lactic acid bacteria in biofilms in pasteurizers and their growth to high population densities during cheese making and pressing.

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