How Many Bacteria Live in One Bite of Cheese? When you eat cheese, you eat the bacteria that helped make it, not only are these bacteria harmless, some are even good for you. One mouthful can hold over a trillion bacteria—almost two hundred times the total number of people in the world.
It is the kind of bacteria used that gives each type of cheese its unique taste. To make cheese, you start with milk.
Cheese-making uses lactic acid bacteria from the lactose in milk. These bacteria are cultured, meaning they are produced under artificial conditions. The type of bacteria is only the beginning of the cheese production process. After the bacteria is cultured, it is allowed to ripen and develop with the addition of rennet in milk.
There is a variety of bacterial cultures available that give distinct flavor and textural characteristics to cheeses. Starter cultures are used early in the cheese making process to aid with coagulation by lowering the pH before rennet addition.
The metabolism of the starter cultures give desirable flavor compounds, and help prevent the growth of spoilage organisms and pathogens.
Adjunct cultures are used to give or enhance the characteristic flavors and textures of cheese. Yeasts and molds are used in some cheeses to give the characteristic colors and flavors of some cheese varieties. In conclusion, we know how many bacteria live in one bite of cheese.
What happens if you eat a lot of cheese? Cheese, like all other milk products, has lactose, which is hard to digest for a lot of people. For such people, consuming too much cheese can cause problems like gas or bloating. Moreover, cheese contains no fiber, so excessive intake of cheese may cause constipation.
Content for this question contributed by Denise Bradley, resident of Linden, southeastern Union County, New Jersey, USA