Microbiology · Kashar cheese

Mold on Kashar and Cut Cheese in the Pack: Causes

Short answer

Mold on kashar and cut cheese in the pack is almost always a post-process contamination: spores reach the cut surface in the cutting and packing room and grow when the seal leaks or the pack atmosphere fails. It is traced with air settle plates, surface swabs, yeast and mold counts by shift, and seal-integrity checks, then fixed through room air handling, cutting-line hygiene and packaging controls.

Updated: 2026-11-05

Target: clean, even, pale yellow kashar block and slice with no mold. — Plate F · Kashar (pasta filata), 6 weeks in cold storeMold growth vs. clean surface

Defect: green and white mold colonies on the surface and cut face of a kashar block. — Plate F · Kashar (pasta filata), 6 weeks in cold storeMold growth vs. clean surface

Microbiology · Kashar cheese

Kashar and cut cheese that grows mold in the pack

1Blue-green mold colonies on the top and sides of the block
2Spots on freshly cut faces and slices, often days after packing
3White, fuzzy growth around edges and pack creases; musty off-odor

Usual causes: Airborne mold spores in cutting and packing rooms, tools and slicers, pinholes or weak vacuum in packs, condensation from warm-to-cold moves, surface moisture before packing, humid cold stores
What we review: Air settle plates and swabs by zone, yeast and mold counts (CFU/g) on product and contact surfaces, vacuum and seal integrity checks, room temperature and humidity logs, time from cutting to sealing, complaint dates by lot
Typical levers: Hygienic zoning and air filtration in cutting areas, cleaning and sanitizing of slicers, drier surfaces before packing, better vacuum or modified atmosphere, permitted surface treatments with labeling checked for each market, cold-chain limits

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