Between 1948-1988, the US produced over 100 billion pounds of cheese. There were 6 foodborne illness outbreaks reported during that time. The highest cause of cheese borne illness outbreaks was post pasteurization or post production contamination. These outbreaks indicated that soft surface ripened cheeses were more susceptible than harder cheeses such as pecorino, reggiano, provolone, etc. Dairy products in general and cheese in particular have a remarkably good safety record.
Pasteurization retards the ripening of cheese.
Cheesemakers could accept poor quality milk, knowing that the raw product would be pasteurized, thereby leading to production of poor quality cheese. Pasteurization results in increased consistency in the cheesemaking process and more uniform quality in the end product. This translates to a lowering of the flavor bar, eliminating the potential to produce a depth and complexity of flavor that can exist with unpasteurized milk. The qualities listed below are lost or significantly diminished in the pasteurization process. Milk before pasteurization is rich in colloidal minerals and enzymes, which are necessary for the absorption and utilization of sugars and fats in the milk.