Bacteriology of Butter Cultures: A Review

Previous to 19192 it commonly was believed that butter cultures are pure cultures of lactic acid streptococci, although there had been various suggestions that the desirable flavor of butter made from ripened cream is not produced by the lactic acid bacteria growing in the cream. In that year three laboratories established the basis for an understanding of the bacteriology of butter cultures by reporting almost simultaneously that such cultures normally include two distinct types of bacteria. The reports indicated that butter cultures contain flavor-producing organisms associated with the much more conspicuous lactic acid streptococci and that combined action of the two types gives the desired flavor to the cultures and to butter in which the cultures are used. B. W. HAMMER AND F. J. BABEL bacteria and S. cremoris and concluded there is no reason to prefer S. cremoris. Some excellent butter cultures examined by Yawger and Sherman (332) contained S. lactis and not S. cremoris. Pont (207) stated that the characteristic organism in a butter culture usually is S. cremoris but that S. lactis may be, and frequently is, present. Gibshman (78) noted that either S. lactis or S. cremoris may be used in butter cultures.