How is cheese produced? This question has fascinated food lovers and dairy professionals alike for centuries. Understanding how cheese is produced reveals a remarkable transformation—turning perishable milk into a stable, flavorful product that can last for months or even years. Today, global cheese production exceeds 22 million metric tons annually, with the European Union leading at over 10 million metric tons and the United States producing approximately 6.2 million metric tons per year.
In this comprehensive guide, we explain exactly how cheese is produced in modern commercial dairies, breaking down each step from raw milk to aged perfection. Whether you’re a dairy professional, food science student, or simply curious about how cheese is produced, this guide covers everything you need to know.
How Is Cheese Produced: The Basic Science
Before diving into the step-by-step process of how cheese is produced, it’s important to understand the underlying science. Cheese production is essentially a method of food preservation through controlled milk fermentation. The process concentrates milk’s primary protein (casein) and fat while removing most water content.
Two biological processes drive how cheese is produced:
- Acidification through bacterial fermentation
- Coagulation through enzymatic action
Mastering these processes is what separates artisan cheese makers from industrial operations. Precise monitoring and control at each stage determines whether cheese is produced with consistent, high-quality results—or with costly variations and defects.
Step 1: Milk Selection and Standardization
The first step in how cheese is produced begins with selecting quality milk. Commercial cheese production primarily uses cow’s milk, though goat, sheep, and water buffalo milk are common for specific varieties. The milk must have excellent composition: optimal fat and protein levels with low bacteria and somatic cell counts.
Before processing begins, milk is standardized to optimize the protein-to-fat ratio. This standardization is critical to how cheese is produced consistently, ensuring predictable quality and maximizing yield. Some facilities use ultrafiltration to concentrate proteins, increasing cheese yield by up to 30% for certain soft varieties.
Producers must also decide whether cheese is produced from raw or pasteurized milk. Raw milk cheeses develop more complex flavors but must be aged at least 60 days per regulations. Most commercial operations pasteurize using High-Temperature Short-Time (HTST) processing at 72°C (161°F) for 15 seconds.
Step 2: Preparing Milk and Adding Starter Cultures
The next stage in how cheese is produced involves preparing the milk for fermentation. After standardization and heat treatment, milk is cooled to approximately 32°C (90°F)—optimal for bacterial growth. Starter cultures are then introduced to the cheese vat.
These bacterial cultures are essential to how cheese is produced successfully. They ferment lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid, which:
- Lowers pH to aid coagulation
- Develops flavor compounds
- Inhibits harmful bacteria through microbial competition
The type of starter culture determines how cheese is produced with specific characteristics:
Homofermentative bacteria produce only lactic acid, used for clean-flavored cheeses like Cheddar.
Heterofermentative bacteria produce lactic acid plus carbon dioxide and other compounds—essential for Emmental where CO₂ creates characteristic “eye holes.”
Mold spores are added when cheese is produced in varieties like Roquefort, Stilton, or Camembert.
The milk ripens with cultures for 30-60 minutes before proceeding.
Step 3: Adding Rennet and Forming the Curd
Understanding how cheese is produced requires knowing the role of rennet. Once sufficient acidity develops, rennet is added to coagulate the milk. Rennet contains proteolytic enzymes—primarily chymosin and pepsin—that cause casein proteins to form a gel-like curd.
Traditional rennet comes from calf stomachs, though vegetarian alternatives are increasingly common. Regardless of source, how cheese is produced depends on precise rennet calculations. Too little compromises curd properties; too much wastes money and affects flavor.
After adding rennet, the milk sits undisturbed for approximately 30 minutes. Timing the cut is critical to how cheese is produced with optimal yield. The curd is ready when a blade inserted at 45 degrees produces a clean break. Cutting too early or late results in “fines”—tiny curd particles lost with the whey, reducing yield.
Step 4: Cutting and Cooking the Curd
This step significantly influences how cheese is produced with different textures. The coagulated curd is cut into pieces using specialized cheese knives. Curd size directly affects moisture content:
- Smaller curds release more whey, producing harder cheeses
- Larger curds retain moisture for softer varieties
After cutting, understanding how cheese is produced requires knowing the cooking process. Curds and whey are gently heated while stirring. For Cheddar-style cheeses, temperatures reach around 38°C (100°F). Cooking:
- Expels additional whey
- Firms the curd structure
- Allows continued acid development
- Develops characteristic texture
How cheese is produced with consistent results depends on precise temperature control during this phase.
Step 5: Draining the Whey
The next phase in how cheese is produced involves separating curds from whey. Once cooking completes, whey is drained from the vat. This liquid portion—containing water, lactose, and soluble proteins—represents 85-90% of original milk volume. Modern facilities recover whey for protein products.
What happens after draining varies by cheese type, demonstrating how cheese is produced differently across varieties:
Cheddar: Curd mats undergo “cheddaring”—cut into sections, stacked, and flipped repeatedly. This expels more whey and creates the characteristic tight structure. Mats are then milled into smaller pieces.
Mozzarella and Provolone: Curds are immersed in hot water and stretched until smooth and elastic.
Blue cheeses: Curds go directly into perforated molds for whey drainage and air exposure.
Step 6: Salting the Cheese
Salt plays a crucial role in how cheese is produced with proper flavor and preservation. It controls bacterial growth, enhances flavor, and affects texture development. Two methods are used:
Dry salting: Salt is sprinkled directly onto milled curds or rubbed onto formed cheese surfaces. For Cheddar, salt content should exceed 3.6% of moisture for optimal quality.
Brining: Formed cheese blocks are submerged in concentrated salt solutions. This method is common for Mozzarella, Feta, and many European varieties.
How cheese is produced with uniform quality depends on achieving consistent salt distribution through accurate measurements and controlled processing.
Step 7: Pressing and Forming
The forming stage shows how cheese is produced into its final shape. Salted curds transfer to cheese molds (hoops) lined with cheesecloth and are pressed. Pressing:
- Expels remaining whey
- Consolidates curds into uniform mass
- Creates the final cheese shape
How cheese is produced as hard or soft varieties depends largely on pressing duration and pressure. Harder cheeses require longer pressing at higher pressures for lower moisture content.
After pressing, cheeses are removed and either bound with cloth, waxed, or vacuum-packed for aging.
Step 8: Aging and Ripening
The final transformation in how cheese is produced occurs during aging (also called ripening or affinage). Duration ranges from days for fresh cheeses to years for aged varieties like Parmigiano-Reggiano.
During aging, biochemical reactions break down proteins and fats, developing complex flavors and textures. How cheese is produced with specific characteristics depends on controlled environmental conditions:
- Temperature affects enzymatic activity rates
- Humidity controls moisture loss and rind development
- Air circulation influences surface mold growth
- Time allows flavor compounds to mature
Fresh cheeses skip aging entirely and are ready for immediate consumption.
Quality Control: How Cheese Is Produced Consistently
Modern understanding of how cheese is produced combines traditional craftsmanship with scientific precision. Maintaining consistent quality across thousands of batches requires meticulous monitoring of:
- Temperatures at each stage
- pH levels throughout production
- Timing of critical steps
- Environmental conditions during aging
Today’s dairies rely on production management systems to track batches from milk intake through aging. These systems ensure regulatory compliance, enable traceability, and optimize processes for better yield. As operations scale, managing the complexity of how cheese is produced—tracking variables, scheduling steps, maintaining records—becomes increasingly challenging without proper tools.
The Global Cheese Industry Today
Understanding how cheese is produced matters more than ever. The global cheese manufacturing industry is valued at over $150 billion annually. Production has increased steadily year over year as consumer demand grows worldwide.
The European Union produces approximately 47% of global cheese, with Germany, France, and Italy leading output. The United States ranks as the single largest producing country. As this industry expands, producers who master how cheese is produced efficiently and consistently will capture growing market opportunities.
Conclusion
How is cheese produced? As we’ve explored, it’s a fascinating 8-step process that transforms simple milk into hundreds of distinct varieties enjoyed worldwide. From milk selection through aging, each step in how cheese is produced requires precision, knowledge, and careful monitoring.
Whether you’re producing artisanal wheels or scaling commercial operations, success depends on mastering both the art and science of how cheese is produced. The fundamentals remain unchanged from ancient times, but modern technology enables unprecedented consistency and efficiency.
Understanding how cheese is produced at this level empowers dairy professionals to optimize their operations, improve yields, and deliver the quality products consumers demand.
References
- University of Guelph – Cheese Making Technology e-Book. “Cheese Making Step-by-Step.” Available at: https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/cheesemakingtechnologyebook/
- Encyclopedia Britannica – “Cheese Making: Description, History, Process, Steps, Curdling, Ripening, & Facts.” Updated July 2023. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/cheese-making
- Penn State Extension – “Introduction to Making Cheese.” Pennsylvania State University. Available at: https://extension.psu.edu/introduction-to-making-cheese
- MilkFacts.info – “Cheese Production: Definitions, Ingredients, Bacterial Cultures, and General Manufacturing Procedure.” Available at: https://www.milkfacts.info/Milk%20Processing/Cheese%20Production.htm