Controlling Moulds & Yeasts in Cheese Brine

Any experience on the control of moulds & yeasts in brine solution for cheese that you can share? Resent parameters are pH 4.6-4.8; Temp.8-12 degrees Celsius and salt at 18-20degrees Baume. Circulation between baths not always properly that may contribute to spikes in counts. Hydrochloric acid was effective, but as we cannot found HCl that is declared food safe, we changed to citric acid that is obvious not able to bring counts back under control

Any experience on the control of moulds & yeasts in brine solution for cheese that you can share? Resent parameters are pH 4.6-4.8; Temp.8-12 degrees Celsius and salt at 18-20degrees Baume. Circulation between baths not always properly that may contribute to spikes in counts. Hydrochloric acid was effective, but as we cannot found HCl that is declared food safe, we changed to citric acid that is obvious not able to bring counts back under control

Hi Leonie,

A few questions:
I presume that you are using potable water to make up the brine?
Do you treat the water before you use it in brine? (Some people dose with hypochlorite then pass through a carbon filter to remove)
Have you determined the source of the Y&M?
You say before you used hydrochloric acid which worked, can you not use food grade HCl to treat then food grade NaOH to bring pH back up?

Regards,

Tony