Method and apparatus for selecting cheese starter cultures

• Main Authors: STAEHLER, GLENN E, LABELLE, GERALD G
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 03.09.1980
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER, CHEESE; ENZYMOLOGY; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; MAKING THEREOF; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES; VINEGAR; WINE

This invention relates to a method for selecting a cheese starter culture resistant to bacteriophage present in a cheese factory, and to apparatus for use in the method. … To test and thereby select a blend of strains not susceptible to the current bacteriophage in the cheesemaking plant the cheesemaker inoculates each of a multiplicity of receptacles (12) with an inoculant containing phage then present in the cheese factory. A suitable inoculant is filtered whey obtained from current production. Each receptacle (12) contains a genetically distinct starter culture strain or a culture blend in a sterile milk medium and contains a dye which will change colour in the desired pH range. After incubation for a period of, for example, ten hours the cultures resistant to the prevailing phage will exhibit the desired colour change and will have developed a firm curd. A starter culture known to be resistant to the prevailing phage can now be selected.