There are different common causes of cheese defects like:
Body - Crumbly/short: often
due to excess salt or acid
Corky: due to overcooking, low fat, low moisture, or excess salt.
Texture - Mechanical openings
which are holes of irregular shape caused by trapped whey. Trapped whey makes
an impression in the cheese during pressing, but during ripening the moisture
is dispersed throughout the cheese leaving the hole behind.
FLAVOUR - The acid flavour is often
associated with acid body defects noted above. The common causes all relate to
process control:
+ Too much moisture (i.e., too much lactose).
+ Too much starter (i.e., too much acid development before dipping).
+ Salting too late or too little.
+ Too warm during or immediately after pressing.
o Bitter flavours are common defects in American but also in other cheese,
including fresh cheese.