Mesophilic culture is used in the making of cheese and is designed for making cheeses that get cooked at intermediate temperatures. Typically, they cannot withstand temperatures that exceed 102° F or 30° C and should only be used where the curds should not be heated above that temperature. Along with thermophilic cheese cultures, the mesophilic culture is one of the two primary and most commonly used cultures.
It is important to remember that no matter what cheese culture you must use, that their primary function is to provide the cheese mixture with the proper bacteria required for making a specific type of cheese. Additionally, just like with other cultures, this is what inoculates the milk that you use to with friendly bacteria which helps to create the aroma, flavor, and the texture of the particular cheese you are trying to make. The culture helps to coagulate the milk while separating the whey (liquids) from the curds (solids).
The types of mesophilic cheese cultures
There are two primary types of mesophilic cultures available, specifically Mesophilic A and Mesophilic M. The differences between them are as follows:
Mesophilic A is used for making fresh and hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Colby, and Feta. Just a ¼ teaspoon of this cheese culture will help ripen up to 2 gallons of milk.
Mesophilic M is used in the making of fresher cheeses like Gouda, Camembert, or Baby Swiss. If you want the cheese to taste more buttery and you want eyes to develop in the cheese, this is the best culture to use. Just like type A above, you will be able to ripen up to 2 gallons of milk with a ¼ teaspoon of this culture.
Some economic suggestions where mesophilic culture is concerned
If you are a newcomer to the home cheese making hobby, here are some suggestions for obtaining mesophilic culture for your cheese. They are listed from the most cost effective way to obtain it to the most costly:
oPurchase buttermilk off the shelf in the dairy case – this is relatively a safe substitute for the commercial version of mesophilic cheese cultures
oUse some actual pieces of the store bought cheese that you are trying to create – this will provide additional bacteria necessary to the creation of the specific type of cheese that you are trying to make
oPurchase a refined mesophilic culture from a commercial vendor – you will basically be purchasing the same type of cheese culture that the commercial cheese makers do
Further considerations about mesophilic cultures
First of all, you need to realize that there are a lot of choices available. Not only are there a lot of choices, there are a lot of commercial vendors who sell these cultures. So shopping for the culture you need can oftentimes get confusing and even frustrating. The problem is that these cheese recipes oftentimes specify a name brand mesophilic culture rather than informing you of the proper culture that is required. Just make sure that you educate yourself as much as you can when purchasing a mesophilic cheese culture.
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