542. The surface microplora of Stilton cheese—normal and slip-coat

Abstract

Coat formation in Stilton cheese is started 5–10 days after manufacture by scraping the surface to fill in crevices and to smooth the coat. Normally the cheese, when ready for scraping, is firm at the surface, greasy to the touch and smells like ripe pears. In some dairies, however, an abnormal condition known as “slip-coat” may be apparent at the scraping stage. The cheese is not firm to the exterior, but has a layer of softened material ½–¾ in deep resembling a partially drained cream cheese. The texture is flaky, whereas in the scrapings from the surface of a normal cheese the texture is granular. Patches of grey, or, less commonly, yellow or brown discoloration, may be formed at the surface of slip-coat cheese.