Standard Cheese Starter Culture for Cheesemaking (Mesophilic)

This freeze-dried blend comprises 4 selected bacteria (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis subsp.lactis biovar. diacetylactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris) to ensure consistent results.

These cheese making cultures 'ripen' the milk, rendering it acidic and in the correct form for the rennet to do its job - turning milk into curds and whey.

The contents of the sachet are simply mixed with milk according to the accompanying instructions to produce one liter (2.1 US pints) of starter solution, which is enough to inoculate over 30 batches of cheese!

Cheese Starter Solution Instructions:

Freeze Dried Cheese Starter is an advanced blend of no less than four carefully selected bacteria cultures, developed to produce a clean, controlled and wholesome souring of the milk. It is an ideal general purpose culture, well suited to the manufacture of all forms of cheese - soft, hard, pressed, surface ripened etc. etc. It is also suitable for use in the production of buttermilk and many other dairy products that are available today.

To cultivate the cheese starter from the freeze dried culture 

The following items are required: A dairy thermometer, a glass container (2pt or 1.5 litre capacity) equipped with a tightly fitting lid, a suitable saucepan, cling film.

Directions:

1. Heat 1 liter (1¾ pts) of fresh milk to approximately 90ºC (194ºF) and hold at this temperature for ten minutes.
2. Remove from the heat. Cool rapidly by standing the saucepan in cold, running water until a temperature of 20ºC (68ºF) is reached.
3. Sprinkle the freeze-dried cheese culture into the milk whilst whisking vigorously. It is important to ensure that the powder is thoroughly mixed into the milk.

4. Sterilize the glass container with a suitable dairy sterilizer to prevent the introduction of any undesirable airborne organisms which could interfere with the incubation of the desired culture.
5. Pour the mixture into the sterilized container and cover with cling film immediately. Put on the lid.
6. Incubate at between 20ºC - 22ºC (68ºF-72ºF) for 22-24 hours.
7. The cheese starter is ready when it smells sharp and clean. Store in a cool place, preferably in a refrigerator. Solution can also be stored deep-frozen (use ice cube tray). It is possible to maintain a supply of starter culture by reserving a small quantity of the finished product and using it in place of the freeze-dried starter culture on the next batch.