6. Elements of ecosystem control

Controlling the microbial ecosystem of cheeses depends above all on good control of the substrate. The consistency of the curd in and on which the microbial community will develop is particularly important. Regularity in the quality of coagulants and sourdoughs, pH at the start and end of draining, control of curd draining kinetics, curd dry matter percentage after draining, control of salting and consequently of the S/M ratio and the fat/dry ratio are quantities which, if controlled, enable a certain reproducibility in the development of the ecosystem and its convergence. Paradoxically, the biodiversity of inoculated ferments only accounts for around 50% of the biodiversity of the final ecosystem, even when pasteurized milk is used. The flora present in the production unit are generally particularly well adapted to developing on the dairy substrate. Despite the drastic cleaning and disinfection...