Accelerated Maturation of Cheddar Cheese: Microbiology of Cheeses Supplemented with Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei L2A

Growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and lactobacilli was studied in Cheddar cheeses supplemented with live and heat‐shocked Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei L2A and with Neutrase® to accelerate maturation. Bacterial counts of treated cheeses rapidly reached maximal values within 1 wk, whereas the control cheese reached comparable values only after 2 mo. Addition of 1.0% heat‐shocked lactobacilli led to an excellent quality Cheddar cheese with a 50% increase in flavor development, as determined by sensory evaluation, compared to control cheese. Addition of Neutrase (1 × 10 ‐5 AU/g cheese) permitted a gain of an additional 10% while addition of higher concentrations (2 and 4 × 10 ‐5 AU/g cheese) resulted in undesirable bitterness.