Milk and Starters for Brick Cheese

The irregularity of quality in commercial Brick cheese has been attributed partly to methods of manufacture and to a great extent to the type and quality of starters used. In 1936 a survey was made to study factory methods of making Brick cheese in Wisconsin. This study revealed that a wider variety of methods were used to encourage the development of acidity during the manufacturing process than was originally supposed. It was found that the ordinary Streptococcus lactis type of starter was commonly used in the making of cheese from pasteurized milk. Whey starter, however, was commonly used in raw-milk factories. Whey for starter was taken from the vat at the time of dipping, or a portion was saved after skimming. Sometimes the whey was simply set aside in a warm place to sour. Sometimes, especially in the summer, the whey was heated to approximately 150 F. then allowed to cool slowly and was put in a warm place to sour. At other factories the whey was heated to about 180 F. then cooled to 80 F. and inoculated with a small portion of whey saved from the previous day's starter.