I’m having some concerns over a few of my cheeses.  I have a Stirred Curd Cheddar, a Monterey jack and a Gouda that are all vacuum sealed.  But each of them is puffing up in the vacuum.  I.e., there is no longer a vacuum.  I’m guessing that they are producing CO2 but I don’t know why it might be happening.  Have any of you had this happen to you?  And, if so, have you figured out what’s going on???

Rich,

I have not had any problems like you describe so I wonder if it has to do with the raw milk that you use.
From what I have read, CO2 occurs naturally in milk although most of it does get used up during the cheese making process.

Have your tried pasteurizing a batch to see if it makes a difference? If you don’t use too high of a heat during the pasteurization it should not affect the properties of the raw milk.

I have read that unpasteurized milk will produce the most flavor and aroma, but it might be worth giving it a try just to see if this is your problem.
On the other hand, if the cheese tastes good and you do not have a problem with “blowing” I probably wouldn’t worry a lot about it.

The only other thing that I can think of would be not being sanitary enough during the make but we have discussed this in the past and I have no doubt that this is not a problem for you.

I’m just sort of guessing here but hopefully it has given you an idea to try.

Dave

Thanks for the input, Dave.  Its a mystery, because its only three cheeses that are affected.  What is “blowing?”  I haven’t heard that term before.

It might be related to the “Swiss” process were gas is generated to make their holes. U might have a weak effect from the Raw milk.

Rich,

Neil is partially correct.
Blowing is the formation of unwanted gas within the cheese. It can cause both internal and external breaks in the wheel.
I’ve never heard you mention this so I assume it is not a problem.
I still would lean toward the theory that there is something within your raw milk that is causing this swelling and it probably is due to some type of gas formation.
This is just a guess though.

Dave

Well, its still a mystery; but I opened one of the puffy cheeses tonight.  Its a stirred curd Cheddar, 3 months old.  It wasn’t puffed quite as much as the gouda - which looks very much like a ballloon.  When I cut the bag open I was a bit apprehensive; but after one whiff, I knew there was no problem here.  The aroma was great.  I sliced off a piece to taste and it was just right on the moisture end - didn’t crumble a bit.  The taste was very good, though a bit sharper than I was expecting at just 3 months.  All in all, its a keeper.

Good to hear, still sounds like a Swiss effect being sharp and nice aroma.
Any cheese u dont have to throw away is a success

First line of defense to unwanted gassing is good sanitation of equipment and all that comes in contact with your cheese before waxing or vacuum packing. I have a 3 gallon pot of water with 600 parts per million available Chlorine (3 oz of Bleach/3gal). All equipment and contact surfaces (including hands) go thru the pot from start to finish of the production process.

Next would be the use of raw milk, as there are bacteria (good & bad) that survive your process. They will die off during the 90 aging period. They may have added the flavor & aroma you really like. Perfect for your special taste to share and tell a story about.