Forgive me for being somewhat repetitive, but I have read most posts on the topic, and because they are dispersed among the various questions raised, I still need some clarification regarding fresh lactic acid coagulation cheeses.
Since acidity is produced by the byproduct of the culture's lifecycle, it stands to reason that if this lifecycle is perpetuated (culture time and temperature prolonged) pH will continue to drop. When rennet is added, its main function is to aid in coagulation, more rennet, faster coagulation and set time.
How does rennet impact the lifecycle of the acting culture, when it enters the mix?
Does it stand to reason that if I increase my rennet (minuscule amount), so as to get a faster and better firmness of the curd, I can make up the acidity during my drain time at room temperature, or would the increase in rennet have had an inhibiting effect on the culture's lifecycle, which would hinder their acid producing abilities?
I feel that if I can control the set/firmness function with rennet, I can maintain better consistency of my curd between batches, providing of course I can perpetuate acidity during drain time.
Lastly, can I use the salting function in the event of an acidity spike so as to slow down the process? This weekend, due to an oversight, a batch of chevre ran somewhat longer and my pH dropped to 4.3 when I ladled into molds. In the future, if I immediately add salt, would that curtail the drop in pH, and salvage my producyt?
Thanks
Rennet doesn't have much if any effect on bacterial "life cycles". The limiting factor is the food source, lactose, and the build up of acidity. Bacteria consume lactose and convert it to lactic acid. As the food source goes down, the acidity increases and creates a natural equilibrium for the culture. So the culture starts to die off. Some bacteria utilize lactate, a byproduct of the process, and will continue well past the lactic bacteria.
Thank you, any suggestions on the salt and its effect on acidity.
Salt certainly slows down bacteria and consequently acid build up. The effect is fairly quick on a salted curd cheese like a cheddar, but is very slow on a brined or salt rubbed cheese. It is not quick enough to compensate for acid "spikes". There are many other things you should be doing to avoid over acidification.