Associative Growth of Steptococcus Lactis and Aerobacter Aerogenes in Milk

One purpose of the use of Streptococcus lactis cultures as starters for cheese is to inhibit the growth of undesirable bacteria, such as the gas formers, during the making process. Aerobacter aerogenes, one of the worst of the gas formers, often is the cause of "early gas" in cheese and seems hard to suppress in cheese made from raw milk. Therefore, a study has been made of the associative growth of S. lactis and A. aerogenes in milk under different conditions, in an attempt to learn how effective the lactic starter may be in holding down growth of the gas former and the production of gas.