EFFECT OF COMPOSITIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL-FACTORS ON THE GROWTH OF INDIGENOUS NONSTARTER LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA IN CHEDDAR CHEESE

The effects of salt and moisture content, ripening temperature and sta rter strain, independently, on the growth of indigenous non-starter la ctic acid bacteria (NSLAB) in Cheddar cheeses were studied. Salt-in-mo isture (S/M) less than or equal to 5.9% had no effect on the growth of NSLAB; 6.1% S/M reduced their growth rate but had no effect on their number at 6 months. Cheeses with a moisture content > 40.3% had higher numbers of NSLAB than cheeses with a lower moisture content during th e initial stages of ripening; the difference appeared to be related to the length of the lag phase rather than to the rate of growth of thes e bacteria. Numbers of NSLAB were quite low in cheeses ripened at 4 de grees C even after 6 months and increased with ripening temperature at all stages of ripening. NSLAB grew faster initially in cheeses made w ith Lactococcus lactis ssp lactis ML3 or 303 as starter than in those made with Le lactis ssp cremoris AMI or AM2 but reached similar number s after 6 months.