vermicon AG proclaims positive news for all cheese manufacturers. Effective monitoring of the microbiological structure of starter cultures during all stages of cheese production considerably helps supervising and controlling microbiology of the production processes.
Cheese production requires a complex interaction of raw materials, production technology and microorganisms. Key element for constant quality is always microbiology, independent on production technology and target group of the final product. Curdling, ripening, hole creation and the intensity of certain flavor components are results of the metabolic processes of bacteria. For a realistic monitoring of the so-called starter cultures it is necessary to identify and quantify the respective bacteria. These are often hard to differentiate by conventional methods. Additionally, the composition and activity of the bacteria populations has to be analyzed.
Especially for the development of new products or problems during cheese production direct insights are essential for coherent findings. Conventional microbiological systems are doomed to fail. „We provide you with the direct insight into cheese,“ Dr. Jiri Snaidr, CEO of vermicon, states. "Our newly developed system for starter cultures in cheese often brings completely new findings for producers." The procedure, which is based on the VIT® gene probe technology does not rely on the indirect way of cultivation and subsequent differentiation. Instead it detects the composition of the bacteria populations cultivation-independently and directly in the sample. By applying specific gene probes starter cultures are individually identified and quantified directly within the sample without pre-enrichment. The activity of used starter cultures is specifically monitored and determined. The method is conducted within the used raw material (such as cultures, lyophilisates, milk), process samples or end products. It is already applied successfully for international cheese manufacturers.
