Maturation culture
A ripening culture is a microorganism culture that is used in food production to ripen food. They are mainly used in sausage and cheese production.
Raw sausage production
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Various staphylococci ( Staphylococcus carnosus , Staphylococcus xylosus ) and molds as surface cultures , especially Penicillium nalgiovense , are used as ripening cultures in the production of dried raw sausages . By enzymes these microorganisms decompose proteins and fats to amino acids and fatty acids . The amino acids are broken down further to amines or aroma complexes while the fatty acids are oxidized to aroma-determining aldehydes , alkanes , alcohols and ketones .
Cheese making
Mold cultures in cheese production
In the production of mold cheese , in particular , various mold cultures are used for ripening and as a protective culture . Play primarily white mold places such as Penicillium candidum or Penicillium camemberti and blue varieties such as Penicillium gorgonzola or Penicillium roqueforti a central role. Other components of the ripening culture that are often not applied in a targeted manner can be species of the genera Mucor , Cladosporium , Epicoccum and Sporotrichum . Corsican sheep cheeses have a particularly rich ripening flora.
By breaking down proteins and fats, the mushrooms produce flavor components and also determine the consistency and texture of the cheese. Mold growth can be restricted to the surface ( Camembert , Brie ) or inside ( Gorgonzola , Roquefort ), whereby the aroma formation is particularly intense due to the formation of methyl ketones ( 2-heptanone , 2-nonanone ) during growth inside the cheese . In this case, the mushrooms are applied by pricking out the cheese mixture, which gives them the oxygen they need for growth.
Red smear cheese
In contrast to the white and blue mold, the red smear is not a mold flora, but above all a bacterial culture. It is a complex flora made up of various staphylococci , corynebacteria , brevibacterium , arthrobacter , microbacterium as well as yeasts and molds. It grows on the surface of appropriately prepared cheeses after the pH value has been optimized through the breakdown of lactic acid by yeast. In the case of the corresponding semi-hard and white cheese varieties, the red smear creates aromas and at the same time represents a protective culture.
Gorgonzola with blue mold growth inside
Brie with white mold growing on the surface
Romadur , a typical red smeared cheese
literature
- KJ Heller: Microbiology of Food Fermentation. In: Garabed Antranikian (Ed.): Applied Microbiology. Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg 2006; Pages 521-522, ISBN 978-3-540-24083-9 .