The main lines of work of this project have consisted of investigating the types of cheeses and fermenting agents available on the market for the production of fermented dairy products and applying them to cheese production, developing specific processes for each category of cheese and investigating cheese refining technologies.

When producing any kind of cheese, it is vitally important to select and use suitable cultures. To produce cheese with different properties, it is necessary to take into account the lactic cultures (mesophilic and thermophilic lactic acid bacteria) and the ripening cultures (bacteria, mould and yeast) to properly define the production process from a technological perspective and to follow the necessary ripening methods, as they will all determine the smell, taste and texture of the different cheeses. Ultimately, they determine the quality of the final product and, therefore, its market position.

With the findings from the research work carried out, it will be possible to overcome many of the specific technological limitations faced by traditional cheesemakers and, thanks to this, facilitate the development of new cheeses and dairy products with high standards of quality and unique organoleptic properties which are ready to be marketed. Diversification has been chosen as a tool to improve the competitiveness of traditional cheesemakers.

• Leartiker, S.Coop

• Research into cultures and their use in cheese production.
• Development of specific processes for each category of cheese.
• Research into cheese refining technologies.