PG - starter culture (bacteria)

PG – thermophilic starter culture for cheese

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

For hard cheese varieties, including Parmesan, Provolone and Grana Padano.

A culture for developing ripened-cheese character

In cheeses such as Parmesan and Grana Padano, character develops gradually. Acidification, curd processing, moulding, salting and ripening management all matter. PG participates in fermentation, and its proteolytic activity is one element of the processes in ripening cheese.

Provolone requires its own technology, including processing a stretchable cheese mass. The same culture does not mean one recipe for all cheeses: match doses, temperatures and times to the intended product. PG does not produce gas.

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

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

Culture characteristics

• Optimum growth temperature: 37–40°C
• Gas production: −
• Proteolytic activity: ++
• Fermenting activity: +++
• Salt tolerance at 50% inhibition of activity: 2% NaCl

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.