Cheddar Cheese Starters: Current Knowledge and Practices of Phage Characteristics and Strain Selection

Abstract

In any specific plant, starter activity may be retarded by a number of factors, the most important of which by far is bacteriophage. If the origin of phages were known and their occurence under commericial conditions could be controlled, the selection of lactic streptococci for use as starters in cheesemaking would be a simple exercise. This article examines the origin of the phage, different types of lytic phages likely to become established in a specific plant and the existence of different strains of lactic streptococci as starters.