Question

Milk starts to coagulate when Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) is added to warm milk as a starter. Mention any two other benefits of LAB.

Answer 1

Production of dairy products:

i. Curd: Indian curd is prepared by inoculating milk with Lactobacillus acidophilus. It also checks the growth of disease-causing microbes.

ii. Yogurt (yogurt): It is produced by curdling milk with the help of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

iii. Butter Milk: The acidulated liquid left after churning of butter from curd, is called buttermilk.

iv. Cheese:

1. The milk is coagulated with lactic acid bacteria and the curd formed is filtered to separate whey.
2. The solid mass is then ripened with the growth of mold that develops flavor in it.
3. Different varieties of cheese are known by their characteristic texture, flavor, and taste which are developed by different specific microbes.
4. The ‘Roquefort and Camembert cheese’ are ripened by Bluegreen molds Penicillium roqueforti and P. camemberti respectively.
5. The large holes in Swiss cheese are developed due to the production of a large amount of CO₂ by a bacterium known as Propionibacterium shermanii.