This causes some breakdown of proteins and other molecules and kills contaminating microbes that may compete with the starter culture. This usually occurs in 3-5 hours. There is some evidence that consumption of products containing active cultures of lactic acid bacteria can be beneficial. However, the health claims by proponents of this idea have yet to withstand serious scientific scrutiny. Cheese Cheese is also a milk fermentation, but its production is more complex.
Different bacteria come into play and production periods are much longer than yogurt.
Despite there being 20 classes and hundreds of varieties of cheeses the initial manufacturing process is surprisingly similar. Curd Formation - Milk is first pasteurized and then fermented by a starter culture. This is usually a lactic acid bacteria with the specific species in use dependent upon the cheese being produced. Curd Concentration - depending upon the cheese being made, the curds may be concentrated in some manner. For soft cheeses the curds are cut into large cubes and then ripened with a fungus or mold.