Thermophilic Streptococci as Starters for Swiss Cheese

Abstract

Over 350 pairs of Swiss cheese were made at these laboratories, at a Pennsylvania factory and at an Ohio factory, for the purpose of comparing cheese made with L. casei (39a) starter alone with cheese made with both L. casei starter and S. thermophilus starter. The following conclusions were drawn from the experiments:1.Under most conditions the use of starters containing Streptococcus thermophilus improved the quality of the cheese.2.The improvement was most marked in eye-formation, texture and flavor.3.Many of the cheeses made with the S. thermophilus starters showed a tendency toward checking and glass.4.The cheese made with “raw” or kettle whey starter showed no superiority over the cheese made with pure cultures of S. thermophilus.5.The use of pure cultures of S. thermophilus avoids the uncertainty inherent in the use of “raw” whey starters.6.Different strains of S. thermophilus, which had been isolated from Swiss cheese whey, were tried as starters and acted differently in the cheese.