Starter Cultures: Classification, Traditional Production Technology and Potential Role in the Cheese Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

Cheese is generally a fermented milk-based product manufactured in a large number of flavors and forms in different countries. A number of flavors can be synthesized from the same vital components viz. milk, rennet, starter cultures; often salt is a fascinating fact of the cheese manufacture process. This chapter aims to discuss the starter culture bacteria and their role either in cheese making or cheese repining. In modern cheese-making practice, a group of food-grade bacteria commonly referred as lactic acid bacteria are inoculated in milk as starter cultures; the key function of these starters is to form lactic acid through fermentation of milk sugar. The process for the transport and metabolism of lactose differs in the different starter cultures. Starter cultures were maintained in liquid forms as stock cultures in dairy plants or cheese factories. Rate of acid production by a simple acidification test is the usual activity test performed for determining the starter.