Mesophilic-A 8 dose Mesophilic-A bulk pack Mesophilic-M 8 dose Mesophilic-M bulk pack Thermophilic 8 dose Thermophilic bulk Helveticus 4 dose Helveticus bulk pack Flora Danica 2 dose Flora Danica bulkCheese Starter Cultures
There are two primary types of cultures used in cheese production. These are commonly called Mesophilic and Thermophilic. These terms describe the optimum temperatures at which the bacteria thrive - not the actual cultures.
Direct Vat Inoculants or DVI cultures have become the most common form of starter used in the cheese industry today. These are also known as direct-to-vat cultures. DVI starters are specific and pure strain cultures and sub-cultures without fillers or additives. As the name implies, these cultures are designed to be added directly to milk without any prior preparation. They are manufactured to be quick to activate and perform vigorously thus reducing the lag phase and preventing mineral precipitation.
DVI cultures have the added advantage of being highly concentrated, meaning that less culture is required to ripen more milk and lag time is partly addressed by the sheer number of bacterial cells. This translates into a faster and more uniform onset of acid production and better cheese.
To maintain their integrity over time, DVI cultures must be kept frozen. Even in perfect packaging and storage conditions there are limits. DVIs are meant to be used within their published shelf life to provide maximum acid production.
Q. I am using a cheese recipe that calls for 1 packet of Direct Set culture or 4 ozs. of prepared culture. How much of your culture is equivalent to those amounts.
For most cheese making recipes, ¼ teaspoon of freeze dried Mesophilic or Thermophilic cheese culture will ripen 2 – 3 gallons of milk.