Description
Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris
For use in fresh, soft, and semi-hard cheese with eyes formation.
This is a mesophilic culture with an optimum growth temperature of 25°c to 30°c but it does operate outside this range. It shows very weak growth above 40°c. It is a direct vat inoculant that requires no pre-treatment.
It is a culture used in cheese making for both texture and flavour, with accompanied extra benefits. Texture wise it creates an ‘openness’ in the curd through the production of carbon dioxide. Flavour wise it creates buttery flavours and aromas through the production of diacetyl compounds.
This culture is the main flavour compound in lactic butter, sour cream, Gouda, and Edam. If your cheese or dairy product is not sufficiently ‘buttery’ in flavour for your taste, try adding a little of this culture to get a more buttery flavour profile. It will take the sharp ‘lactic edge’ off the flavour of your cheese.
It is a particularly useful addition to blue vein cheese. The openness in the curd that gas production creates aid the growth of Penicillium roquefort (blue mold) which requires oxygen to grow. The buttery flavour it imparts balances the sharpness of blue mold to give you a creamy blue flavour profile.
This culture has additional benefits. It is known to produce bacteriocins which have a preservative effect, helping to inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria. The effect is not a robust preservative on its own, but it does add an extra layer of food spoilage preservation. The culture also metabolises glucose promoting probiotic activity; properly made cheese is after all a fermented product. This culture is also used for fermenting vegetables like cabbage to make sauerkraut.
Certified halal and kosher.
