Homemade Sausage Making

One year ago I smoked two pounds of cheddar cheese. I cut the brick into several more or less equal sizes and smoked them on the same shelf in my smoker for a time and then wrapped time in new clean plastic wrap. This is a picture of two of the pieces wrapped equally and stored on the same shelf in the fridge. As may be seen one is moldy and one completely free of any mold. The only explaination I can offer is the clean piece has seemingly shrunken a bit and its moisture content may be below the level to suppot the growth of the mold.
Does anyone have a better explaination? Thanks.

I would lean towards a bit of contamination on the plastic wrap or the surface of the moldy one.

The moisture content shouldn't have changed that drastically between the 2 if the were smoked, wrapped, and stored exactly the same.

The ONLY other idea I have is that there may have been a great oxygen content within the wrap of the moldy one than the other.

I haven't seen this with my vacuum packer before, but in the past when one wrapped in cling wrap molded, the others did as well...

Hopefully others will chime in soon.

Charlie

It is a curiosity. I had laid the first piece of chese on the sheet and wrapped a full turn and then the second piece and continued the wrap. Four other packages wrapped in the same manner remained clean.

Hmm, methinks Ross the self-proclaimed tightwad, will have to break down and buy a vacuum sealer and that will put an end to any rotten cheese mysteries in the future.

I store cheese for at least a year with no change in moisture content, no mold or other effects. I cut the cheese into 1# locks, vaccum seal then into the freezer. That is what works for me. I thaw it in the fridge and when I open the package its just like fresh cheese.

Hi Ross,
Have you made any camembert? I am having trouble with mine; they always seem to develop an ammonia smell by the time they are ripe, despite variations in humidity control, temperature. Any suggestions?
Ursula

Urusla, Un fortunately this was commercial cheese. My sister keeps a goat herd and makes cheese but not I.