1. Dairy products prepared using microorganisms are curds, yogurt, butter milk and cheese.
2. The starter or inoculum used in preparation of dairy products contains millions of lactic acid bacteria (LAB).
3. Curd is prepared by inoculating milk with Lactobacillus acidophilus. It ferments lactose sugar of milk into lactic acid. Lactic acid causes coagulation and partial digestion of milk protein casein. Thus, milk is changed into curd. It also checks growth of disease causing microbes.
4. Yogurt is produced by curdling milk with the help of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
5. Buttermilk is the acidulated liquid left after churning of butter from curd, is called buttermilk.
6. During the preparation of cheese, the milk is coagulated with LAB. The curd formed is filtered and whey is separated. The solid mass is then ripened with growth of mould that develops flavour in it. Characteristic texture, flavour and taste of cheese are developed by different specific microbes.
The ‘Roquefort cheese is ripened by blue green mold Penicillium roquejortii. Camembert cheese is ripened by blue-green mold P. camembertii. The large holes in Swiss cheese are developed due to production of a large amount of CO2 by a bacterium known as Propionibacterium shermanii.
