A Study of a Bacterial Cause of the Late Gas Defect in Cheddar Cheese

More of the manufacturing milk purchased from Utah\u27s dairy farms is used for the production of cheese than for any other product. Approximately eleven and one-half million pounds of cheese were produced in Utah in 1959, of which more than half was cheddar. Many problems are encountered in the production of A-grade cheddar cheese. One of the most important causes of the reduction in grade is the late gas defect which accounts for about 50 percent of the cheese grading below A-grade. To increase the percentage of A-grade cheddar cheese in Utah, the late gas problem should be solved. The objective of this study is to learn some of the causes of the late gas defect and point the way to its prevention