Processed

Mesophilic Aromatic

S tier

Mesophilic aromatic starters—Lactococcus lactis with citrate-positive partners such as Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis and Leuconostoc— acidify milk in the 20–30 °C band and throw the buttery, creamy notes of a young gouda, havarti, or cultured butter. The citrate fermenters make CO₂ as well as diacetyl, so a few pinholes in the paste are a feature, not a leak. They are the wrong culture for a mozzarella cooker or a cheddar that must stay blind and dry. Keep the frozen pellets or freeze-dried sachets at the promised temperature; a thawed-and-refrozen can is a slow vat. Taste the young cheese for butter and yoghurt, not for holes alone.