• Making Home Cheese Making Cheaper
• Cultivate Your Own Blue Mold
• Make Your Own Cultures

It seems costs savings are still on the minds of some home cheese makers since we’ve been asked a few times now if existing cheeses can be used as cultures for making new cheese, as a means towards saving money.

Answering this question is easy.

Yes you can use existing cheeses as cultures.

In fact this method has been used for as long as cheese has been made to pass on a desirable strain of bacteria and preferred type of cheese through families and even across villages, countries and continents.

But there’s a little more to it now that we’ve got access to commercially made cultures. There are still a few good reasons to harvest your own cultures, but there are also some draw backs so let’s look at whether propagating cultures from an existing cheese is a good idea or not.

The Case FOR Using Existing Cheese As Cultures

There are a few seemingly good reasons for having a go at using an existing cheese as a possible source of cultures for your new cheeses.

1) Saving money

Purchasing commercial cheese cultures can be one of the most expensive aspects of home cheese making and any opportunity to reduce cost while still being able to enjoy the hobby of cheese making, and the wonderful results of that hobby, is enticing.

2) Recreating A Preferred Cheese

If you have a particular cheese that you enjoy which is made by a commercial producer you might want to try reproducing that cheese for yourself. Without knowing what cultures they used it could seem impossible to replicate what they’ve created but with a little of the cheeses ‘DNA’ you may have a better chance.

3) Fun

Let’s be honest, most home cheese makers have a little bit of the adventurer in us and we like to see what happens if we do one thing versus another. Experimenting is an inherent part of cheese making and trying to inoculate a new cheese with old cheese is just another one of those fun experiments.

The Case AGAINST Using Existing Cheese As Cultures

1) Unpredictability

There is absolutely no way you can know what bacteria, good or bad, you are adding to your cheese. Yes, you may get the good stuff you were hoping for and end up with a cheese similar to that which you were trying to replicate, but you may also get a bunch of nasties that you weren’t expecting, without knowing what was going on with the cheese you harvested from.

Likewise, you can’t predict how the existing cheese cultures will react with the milk, and how the acid levels will be affected. Commercial cultures are manufactured to be more predictable and create a ‘typical’ response so for the home cheese maker, especially a new one, they are the safest way to get a reliable outcome.

2) Fuss

To use the existing cheese you need to do a bit more work. First you need to harvest a piece of the cheese, then either dry it, grind it down to a powder and mix it with spring water to add it into your cheese, or harvest your cheese, blend it with boiled and cooled milk, leave it overnight to check for viability (which is evident if the milk coagulates after the existing cheese is added) and then add that mixture to your new cheese. Can you be bothered with the extra time and effort? Or would you rather just sprinkle a few pre-made spores in and carry on with the rest of the process?

3) Cost

In the full scheme of things are the cultures really that expensive compared to what you could spend on cheese? I know that here in New Zealand, even with the cost of cultures, milk, and rennet, making my own cheese is still cheaper than buying it. Especially for the fresh cheeses. Up front, cultures might seem costly but the amounts that are used are small and as a total contribution to your cheese cost, it’s still pretty reasonable.

And in addition, if your harvesting experiment doesn’t go well, you could lose more money in the milk and rennet that never becomes the cheese you were planning on, or it becomes a bacteria ridden frankencheese ; )

Still Keen?

If you do decide to go ahead and harvest an existing cheese for cultures then just make sure you do so with the most stringent of cleanliness and caution so as to avoid introducing any unwanted bacteria.

Use a cheese that looks well stored and presents in a good state at purchase and, if possible, take your harvest from the center of the cheese when you first cut into it.

While taking this kind of care is a bit of a departure from the rustic way it was done traditionally, and many people scoff at taking all the extra care when for centuries people would just slice off a chunk of cheese and hand it around for the next person to use, I personally would rather avoid getting ill from my experiments than be a stickler for the old ways.

Do you have any questions or comments about propagating cultures? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

Curd Nerd Forum

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By doing this you will save a lot of money from buying thermophilic and mesophilic cultures so often.

Allowing you to make more homemade cheese for less costs.

That’s not all…

We will cover what are cheese cultures, mesophilic cultures and thermophilic cultures. Outlining which cultures should be used for certain cheeses.

The bottom line is I have been doing this for years and it has saved me a pretty penny.

It has allowed me to make more delicious cheeses then I would have been able to, if I had to buy starter cultures all the time.

Now, there’s a whole lot that goes into making the perfect wheel of cheese, of which cheese cultures take center spot.

Until recently, a crucial part of getting a great, tasty cheese meant having all the right ingredients and conditions necessary to nurture your own cultures, or to have had an established one shared with you to use.

Conversely, you had to have had an established set of cultures provided for you to use. These were and still remain to be known as mother cultures.

What Is Cheese Culture?

So, what is cheese culture? A Cheese culture comprises one or several species of lactic bacteria.

These lactose fermenting bacteria when added to milk, digest the lactose sugars to produce lactic acid which is what causes the formation of curds.

Without cheese cultures, you’d be making sour, coagulated milk cheeses that certainly do not come close to anything like the cheeses most of us enjoy.

The Cost Of Modern Day Home Cheese Making

Technology has turned around the traditional methods of making cheese. Now, you can buy bulk, readily prepared starter cultures to use as you like.

Even if you don’t have a local cheese-making supply store, you can jump online and with the click of a few buttons have cheese cultures swinging their way to you within a couple of days.

This has however done little to solve one home cheese making problem, the high costs of cheese cultures. One of the most expensive parts of making cheese at home is buying the starter cultures.

Even though you only use a small amount for each time you make cheese, the packets don’t last that long when you make cheese regularly.

In such instances, the costs really start to add up. This brings many DIY cheese makers to a point where they ask themselves whether they should create their own cheese cultures and make cheese making more economical.

Commercial Starters VS Homemade Cheese Cultures

A percentage of DIY Cheesemakers stand by the clear benefits of purchasing commercial starter cultures as opposed to making one’s own.

Commercial cheese cultures tend to be truer to type, and are produced so as to be free of any unwanted contaminants. You can rely on commercial cheese cultures to do what they are supposed to, as long as they aren’t expired or compromised in any way.

There are, however, numerous benefits of creating your own cheese cultures. By far, the best reason you should consider making your own cultures, as mentioned, is the reduced costs.

You can save a whole lot of money by taking one small amount of purchased starter culture and using it to make your own mother culture.

Afterwards, continue to re-culture from that first batch, without spending an extra cent. A lot of cheese can be made from each batch of lactic bacteria cultures if stored properly.

The cost savings will soon become apparent when you no longer have to keep stocking up on DVI cultures (Direct Vat Inoculation).

Another benefit to making your own cheese culture is that you’ll have easy access to as much starter culture as you may need, without worrying about your order getting delivered on time.

You’ll also enjoy keeping things more natural from start to finish in the cheese making process.

What Is Mesophilic Culture?

A mesophilic culture is a type of cheese culture that is best suited to work in moderate temperature. That means milk that is neither too hot nor too cold, anything up to 90°F.

How To Make Mesophilic Culture

Before you commence the process, it is vital that you maintain high standards of cleanliness, especially when preparing the mother cultures, similar to when you’re making your cheese.

A mother culture is the base bacterial culture from which you will draw samples to use in your future cheese-making projects.

• Sterilise a preserving jar and lid by boiling them in water for about 5 minutes or cleaning them then putting them in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• Cool the jar then fill it with fresh, unpasteurized, skimmed milk, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
• Close the lid tightly.
• Place the jar in a deep pot with the water level ½ inch above the lid of the jar.
• Bring the water in the pot to the boil then leave it on a slow boil for 30 minutes.
• Remove the jar from the water and let it cool to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add the appropriate amount of freeze-dried mesophilic starter culture (depending on manufacturer’s instructions) to the milk while still at 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Close the lid tightly again and gently swish the jar to mix the culture into the milk.
• Place the jar somewhere that will keep the milk at 75 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-24 hours.
• After approximately 18 hours you should see a solid white gel forming. If not, leave it for longer, or place the jar somewhere warmer to encourage the coagulation.
• When the culture is ready, it should look like a thick yogurt. It will pull away from the sides of the jar cleanly and have a glossy surface.

Types Of Mesophilic Cultures And Their Uses

Fresh Cheese Culture:

An aromatic mesophilic culture used in making soft cheeses such as Neufchatel, Chevre, and Cottage Cheese. This culture can also be used to make flavorful aged types of cheese such as Baby Swiss and Blue Cheese.

Flora Danica Mesophilic Starter Culture:

Used to give cheeses a buttery flavor. The bacterial culture is primarily used to produce cheese such as Edam, Gouda, Leerdam, Samsoe, and other types of soft cheeses such as Camembert, and Blue Cheese.

Mesophilic Direct-Set Culture:

A versatile cheese culture that can be used to produce semi-soft and fresh cheeses at home. You can use this culture to makes cheeses such as Monterey Jack, Colby, Cheddar, Chèvre, Feta, and more.

Mesophilic Aromatic Type B:

A versatile cheese culture used to produce buttery, flavorful cheeses. This type of culture is mostly used to make soft cheeses such as Cream Cheese, Goat Cheese, and Cottage Cheese. You can also make sour cream and cultured butter among other speciality cheeses such as Camembert and Havarti.

MM Series Starter Culture:

Used to make buttery, open-textured cheeses such as Brie, Havarti, Camembert, Gouda, Edam, Feta, Blue Cheese, and Chevre.

RA22 Cheese Culture:

A fast acidifying bacterial culture used to make traditional cheddar and similar cheeses.

MA 4000 Series Culture:

This culture contains bacteria that resembles the bacteria balance in raw milk. This culture creates an open texture ideal for many types of cheese that include Brin D’ Amour, Caerphilly, and Roquefort cheese.

What Is A Thermophilic Culture?

A thermophilic culture involves bacteria that can withstand high heat and is used to make cheeses that can be heated up to 130 degrees.

How To Make A Thermophilic Culture

Making a thermophilic culture is as easy as making a mesophilic culture. To make a thermophilic culture, simply follow the same directions as above. However, in place of the mesophilic culture, add a thermophilic culture to the milk instead.

Allow the milk to cool and afterward incubate it at 110 degrees Fahrenheit, for 6 to 8 hours as opposed to the longer period for a Mesophilic culture.

Otherwise, the two processes are similar and, with the right care and conditions, should result in a batch of your very own homemade thermophilic culture ready for use.

Types Of Thermophilic Cultures And Their Uses

Thermophilic Direct-Set Starter Culture:

This type of thermophilic culture is used in the making of hard cheeses such as Romano, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone, Emmental and Swiss cheese.

Propionic Shermanii Bacteria:

Primarily used for the eye formation in Emmental and the aroma, and flavor production in Swiss-type cheeses such as Gruyere.

Thermo B Culture:

Used to make Italian-Style Mozzarella, Romano, Parmesan, Provolone, other popular Italian cheeses.

Thermo C Culture:

This is also used to make Italian cheeses. The bacterial culture is suitable for making farmstead type cheeses, such as Gruyere, Emmentaler, Swiss, and Vacchino Romano cheese.

It is worth noting that thermophilic cultures are sometimes used together with mesophilic cultures.

Storing Your Cheese Cultures

Once you’re done making your mother culture, leave it in a jar and place it in the fridge.

The cultures should be used within a week.

However, if you intend to store the culture in the freezer for later use.

You can freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop out the cubes to store in freezer bags for a period of up to 6 months.

Remember to label your mother culture depending on what type it is, and the date you made it.

When you are ready to make your next wheel of cheese, simply use one ice cube for every 2 gallons or 10 litres of milk.

You can also use these ice cubes to start a new culture, using the same directions explained above.

This time, use an ice cube of your mother culture instead of the DVI cultures to inoculate the milk.

What Happens When Good Cheese Cultures Go Bad?

If for any reason your cheese culture goes bad, don’t use it to make cheese.

If it doesn’t coagulate, despite following all the steps, the correct temperature and time period, or has bubbles in it, then throw it out and start over again.

A bad starter culture will translate to bad cheese and a total lost time and effort.

Making your own starter cultures is a wonderful way to advance your home cheese making and to make this artisan craft even more economical. 

So, give it a go, and make your own Thermophilic and Mesophilic cultures and let us know how it turns out for you.

As always, feedback, advice or questions are welcomed. Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

Curd Nerd Forum

If you’re a cheese shop owner and are looking for ways to set up your business for success, here are our top resource to help you do that: 

-Secure your safety through worker’s comp insurance from Cerity

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-Don’t forget to check out some New Cheese Recipes

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How To Add Cheese Starter Cultures

Cheese starter cultures are a form of bacteria used in the production of cheese. They are added to the milk at the start of the cheese making process (not for all cheeses though, there are exceptions such as Haloumi) in order to determine taste, smell, texture and mouth feel.

The main cheese starter cultures are Thermophilic and Mesophilic. Thermophilic cultures can handle being heated to higher temperatures, Mesophilic cultures  suffers at higher temperatures.

There are also specific culture strains made by commercial manufacturers which fall into each of these types (Therm and Meso) and each subtly changes the results you will get with your cheese. Your recipe should tell you which culture type you need.

There are other cheese starter cultures such as propionic shermanii which affect the final look and texture of the cheese such as creating the ‘eyes’ (holes) in cheeses such as Swiss or Gruyere. As you get more experienced at making cheese you may want to investigate and give these a go.

Recultured or DVI?

Some cultures need to be recultured first or you can get DVI (direct vat inoculation) cultures which are much easier as you just drop them into your pot and stir them in.

Your cultures are likely to have been freeze dried when you receive them and you should store them in the freezer, sealed in a zip lock bag or container when you are not using them.

During your cheesemaking be careful when measuring your quantities as cultures change the acidity of your milk. Too much culture and your pH levels could end up too high, impacting the final product.

I personally use the CHR Hansen brand of cultures but there are others out there so look around. And support your local cheese making supply companies where you can by buying your products from them.

Finally it is possible to create your own cultures with Buttermilk (Mesophilic starter culture) and Yoghurt (Thermophilic starter culture).

Many new cheesemakers start off using these and it is most certainly cheaper to do so but with commercial cultures you are more likely to get the results you are expecting and hoping for.

If you have enjoyed this post then you will love these:

Cheese Cultures Make Your Own And Save Money

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Do you have any questions or comments about Starter Cultures for your Home Cheese Making? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

Curd Nerd Forum