Patterns of non-starter microflora during ripening of selected South African Cheddar cheeses manufactured by the open-vat procedure

摘要

The content of non-starter microorganisms in Cheddar cheese during ripening corresponded well with literature values. However, yeast and mould counts were higher during the early stages of ripening. Bacterial counts indicated a high hygienic standard in the factories. The microorganisms followed multi-phasic sum-of-exponentials, linear and exponential patterns during ripening that were expressed in terms of mathematical equations. These equations may be used to develop predictive indices for the cheese.