Processed
Adjunct Flavour Culture
A tier
Adjunct flavour cultures—propionibacteria for emmental eyes, Brevibacterium for smear rinds, Lactobacillus helveticus or adjunct lactococci for sweet aged notes— are not asked to acidify the vat on time. They ride along with a workhorse starter and do their work in the press, the cave, or the warm room. Pitch them as extras, never as the sole acidifier. A propionic adjunct in a cheddar cave is a mistake; a smear adjunct in a vacuum bag is a waste. Read the cheese style before you open the can. These cultures are how a plant copies a cave flavour without abandoning a reliable acid starter.
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Characteristics
Preparations
Traits
History
Propionibacteria were linked to the eyes and nuts of emmental, later sold as adjuncts.
Smear and yeast-ripening adjuncts were bottled for washed-rind factories.
Cheddar plants added flavour adjuncts to rebuild complexity lost with faster makes.
Defined adjunct libraries let small creameries buy cave character by the sachet.