LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA IN CHEDDAR-CHEESE MADE WITH SODIUM-CHLORIDE, POTASSIUM-CHLORIDE OR MIXTURES OF THE 2 SALTS

Three different split lots of Cheddar cheese curd were prepared with a dded sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium chloride (KCI) or mixtures of N aCl/KCl (2:1, 1:1, 1:2 and 3:4, all on wt/wt basis) to achieve a final salt concentration of 1.5 or 1.75%. At intervals during ripening at 3 +/-1 degrees C, samples were plated with All-Purpose Tween (APT) and L actobacillus Selection (LBS) agar. Isolates were obtained of bacteria that predominated on the agar media. In the first trial (Lactococcus l actis subsp. lactis plus L. lactis subsp. cremoris served as starter c ultures), L. lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus casei and other lacto bacilli were the predominant bacteria regardless of the salting treatm ent received by the cheese. In the second trial (L. lactis subsp, lact is served as the starter culture), unclassified lactococci, L. lactis subsp. lactis, unclassified lactobacilli and L. casei predominated reg ardless of the salting treatment given the cheese. In the third trial (L, lactis subsp. cremoris served as the starter culture), unclassifie d lactococci, unclassified lactobacilli, L. casei and Pediococcus cere visiae predominated regardless of the salting treatment applied to the cheese, Thus use of KCI to replace some of the NaCl for salting chees e had no detectable effect on the kinds of lactic acid bacteria that d eveloped in ripening Cheddar cheese.