EM - starter culture (bacteria)

EM – mesophilic–thermophilic starter culture for cheese

Choosing the right culture is one of the basic steps towards cheese with the intended character. EM from the Cheese-Tek MF series is a mesophilic–thermophilic culture for direct milk inoculation.

For semi-hard and hard cheeses, including Emmental, Gruyère and Greve.

A culture for cheeses whose character develops during ripening

EM combines five bacterial components. In ripened cheeses, acidification, curd processing, moulding, pressing and salting create conditions for further flavour and texture development. Each listed cheese requires its own recipe and appropriate ripening conditions.

EM proteolytic activity is rated at four plus signs. Proteolysis is one of the processes in ripening cheese. EM itself does not produce gas. Match the complete culture blend and process parameters to the intended cheese.

Freeze-dried culture for direct use

The preparation is a dry, freeze-dried powder. The culture is added directly to milk, making it convenient for both small batches of cheese and larger-scale production.

The smaller pack is a screw-top vial. It allows the required dose to be dispensed and the container closed again. Maintain hygiene when measuring and protect the contents from moisture.

Available packs

• 10 g vial — for 100 litres of milk.
• 100 g sachet — for 1000 litres of milk.

Choose the variant to suit the planned volume of milk.

Composition

• Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
• Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris
• Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus
• Lactobacillus helveticus
• Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis

Culture characteristics

• Optimum growth temperature: 32–35°C
• Gas production: −
• Proteolytic activity: ++++
• Fermenting activity: +++
• Salt tolerance at 50% inhibition of activity: 2%

The optimum growth temperature describes conditions for culture growth — temperatures throughout the production process must follow the recipe.

Storage and transport

After measuring a portion, close the pack tightly and protect the contents from moisture. The culture withstands higher temperatures during transport.