Culture sweetens cheese.(Brief Article)

Connoisseurs of fine cheeses may be able to indulge themselves without worrying about their weight.

The bitter `off-taste' that is typical of low-fat cheeses can be eliminated using a mixture of bacterial starter cultures, according to a report published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Cheese-makers have struggled to make tasty low-fat versions that have the texture, flavour and consistency of full-fat cheeses. But a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota reports a solution to this problem.

Led by Howard Morris, professor emeritus of food science and nutrition, the team developed low-fat cheddar that mimics the clean, …