Swiss Cheese Recipe - Cultures For Health (2024)

FAQs

Are cheese cultures good for you? ›

Cultured foods like yogurts, kombuchas, and even cheese have gained widespread popularity due to the many health benefits they provide. Fermented foods and drinks contain many good bacteria called probiotics that helps restore your gut health and has many digestive enzymes.

The use of a culture of selected propionibacteria allows a more regular eye formation as a result of controlled propionic acid fermentation. All these cheese varieties are referred to as Swiss-type cheeses. The body and texture of Swiss cheese are typical of hard or semi-hard cheeses.

Both the protein and calcium found in swiss cheese contribute to healthier, stronger bones. Protein has been linked to the development of bones and their formation. In addition, calcium intake ensures that our bones are healthy, and also contributes to healthy blood flow and muscles.

Swiss cheese and its characteristic holes created by the action of Propionibacterium freundenreichii bacteria. P. freundenreichii grows during ripening at 24°C and ferments lactate to acetate, propionate, and CO₂.

Semi-hard cheeses such as cheddar, mozzarella, or gouda, as well as cottage cheese, may contain higher levels of probiotics than other types of cheese that are aged for longer periods of time. Cheesemakers are exploring new methods to protect probiotic bacteria through the aging process.

Swiss farmers have traditionally relied on livestock farming, as much of the cultivated land is not suitable for growing crops. Making cheese was a traditional way to preserve milk which would otherwise spoil rapidly. Cheese then grew into an important commercial commodity.

Many soft and hard cheeses, including Swiss, Provolone, Gouda, cheddar, Edam, Gruyère, feta, caciocavallo, Emmental, and Parmesan are likely to provide at least some probiotics, but note that statements about “live and active cultures” are unlikely to be found on aged cheeses.

In a late stage of cheese production, the propionibacteria consume the lactic acid excreted by the other bacteria and release acetate, propionic acid, and carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide slowly forms the bubbles that develop the "eyes". The acetate and propionic acid give Swiss its nutty and sweet flavor.

Swiss cheeses are higher than other cheeses in a bacterium called Propionibacterium freudenreichii. Their consumption regulates your gut microbiota, which makes them both probiotic and prebiotic. That's a fancy way of saying that P. freudenreichii helps keep your gut happy and healthy.

Why is Swiss cheese the healthiest? ›

Swiss cheese contains higher levels of phosphorus than other cheeses. Vitamin B-12: When compared with other types of cheeses, Swiss cheese is known to have the most B-12 of any of its peers. B-12 is known for being an essential part of your overall health with particular benefits to your circulatory and nerve health.

The researchers concluded that the probiotics in Swiss cheeses extend lifespan by protecting against pathogens, provoking an anti-inflammatory effect on the immune system and lowering the body's stress responses.

Streptococcus thermophilus is used as a multifunctional starter culture to produce fermented milks, including yogurt, and hard Italian and Swiss cheeses. It grows symbiotically with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.

The holes in the cheese are called the "eyes", and a Swiss cheese that does not have holes is called a "blind" cheese. Most often, Swiss cheeses with larger eyes have a better taste, as the same things that make the eyes bigger also make the taste of the cheese better.

They consume lactic acid in the cheese, and as they munch away, they produce carbon dioxide gas. This gas doesn't just disappear — it forms air pockets within the cheese. Here's where the plot thickens. The holes in Swiss cheese are primarily due to a particular bacterial strain known as Propionibacterium.

In raw (unpasteurized) milk cheeses, the natural bacteria from the environment and in the milk stay alive while the cheese ferments. So when you eat it, you introduce live bacteria, all those good probiotics, into your body and they help you stay healthy.

Some cheeses also have probiotic properties that may benefit gut health and cholesterol levels. Cheesemakers use live bacteria to convert lactose, a sugar naturally occurring in milk, to lactic acid.

Cultures are naturally-occurring in milk, and over countless generations, microbes evolved and adapted. Without refrigeration and other modern technology, milk left on its own soured and curdled. As sanitation and health knowledge deepened, cheesemaking changed.

The starter culture is a selectively characterized group of bacteria that are intentionally added to the collected milk. Their primary purpose is to convert lactose in milk into lactic acid. In addition, the starter culture contributes directly to flavor development through production of enzymes and metabolites.