# Saving a culture?



## Ozark Lady (Mar 21, 2010)

I made great homemade buttermilk and yogurt from just commercial products, not a starter culture.
After making it a few times, it has gotten really strong, really sour, and it cures very fast.
I made homemade buttermilk cheese, 1 gal fresh milk, warmed to which I added 1 quart of buttermilk.
It took about 8 hours to make curd. I drained it.
But it is so sour it is dogfood. I have even considered washing it with fresh water and draining it again, in case it still has sour whey in it, but it is a soft cheese, not sure that will work.

I know it is the culture is just over ripe. It isn't spoiled, or anything, just too strong.

Can a person use alot less culture and start a new batch and keep the numbers of culture less in order to decrease the sourness?

How do commercial buttermilk or yogurt makers keep their cultures tame? Is it all about quantity used?
I have noticed that temperature it is cultured at will also increase the numbers of culture guys in there.

So, how does one use just buttermilk or yogurt in a cheese and stop the continuing to ripen?


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## Rose (Oct 26, 2007)

I'm thinking that some non-desirable organisms joined in on your buttermilk culture.

Like you, I'm fascinated with the process, and I'd like to know what they do in factories!


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## linuxboy (Oct 26, 2009)

Ozark Lady said:


> Can a person use a lot less culture and start a new batch and keep the numbers of culture less in order to decrease the sourness?


Kind of. With buttermilk making at home, you often will get bacteria from the air and/or mutations. For example, if you got any acidophilus in the culture, that would turn it really, really sour. However, what is more likely is that the balance of the types of bacteria change over time. This change is due primarily to temp. Any time you get above around 75 F, the more buttery bacteria that produce mouthfeel cannot compete with the bacteria that rapidly produce acid.


> How do commercial buttermilk or yogurt makers keep their cultures tame? Is it all about quantity used?


In part. The inoculation rate is usually 1% bulk equivalent. They keep it consistent by using a starter where the strains and type of bacteria and their ratios are well defined and in balance. Either by using freeze dried culture or bulk frozen or a mother starter with quality controls.


> I have noticed that temperature it is cultured at will also increase the numbers of culture guys in there.


Yes, this is the biggest difference. Lower temps (68-75) favor propagation of heterofermentive bacteria like L diacetylactis and Leuconostoc, which produce body and a buttery flavor. 


> So, how does one use just buttermilk or yogurt in a cheese and stop the continuing to ripen?


Cold crash as soon as pH is optimal. This means putting in the fridge at 33-34F as soon as pH if 4.5-4.6 for mesophilic and 4.1-4.3 for thermophilic, or even a little earlier.



> Like you, I'm fascinated with the process, and I'd like to know what they do in factories!


Consistent everything. Propagation temp, culture medium, inoculation rate, strain balance, variant balance, vat/milk temp, ambient room temp, etc.


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