Milk is the main ingredient in cheese, but there are other ingredients that can enhance your cheese that you may not be familiar with. Below is a cheese guide that provides information about some of the ingredients you might be interested in adding to your cheese.

Lipase Powder

Lipase powder is a version of lipase, an enzyme that makes cheese zesty and sharp. It is absent from pasteurized and homogenized milk, so adding lipase powder is a way to replace the enzyme and increase the cheese’s flavor.

You should water down the lipase powder and wait 20 minutes before combining it with the milk. Refer to your recipe for directions on when and how to mix it in.

Cheese Cultures

Cheese cultures are key for keeping the flavor strong and fresh. Cultures transform lactose into lactic acid, which makes the milk more acidic. Two broad categories of cultures are thermophilic and mesophilic cultures. A thermophilic culture thrives in hot temperatures, while a mesophilic culture favors temperatures that are no higher than 90 degrees. There are countless types of cultures in each group, and the recipe you use will specify which culture to use and how to add it to the milk.

Calcium Chloride

Calcium chloride cheese ingredient adds calcium to the cheese. Pasteurized and homogenized milk has less calcium than raw milk, which results in softer cheese. Mixing calcium chloride into the milk puts the depleted calcium back and thickens the cheese.

Dissolve the calcium chloride in water and gradually pour the solution into the milk through a slotted spoon as the milk is warming up. Stir it for a minimum of 30 seconds until it is completely blended. If you are adding rennet cheese ingredient, put it in after the calcium chloride and let the milk mixture settle for an additional 5 minutes.

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