Acid-set cheese

[1] When making soft acid-set cheese using bacteria, the coagulum results from production of lactic acid by the starter microorganisms.

[1] Cheeses can be classified according to a variety of features including ripening characteristics, special processing techniques (such as cheddaring) or method of coagulation.

Ricotta and most other whey cheeses are made by first heating the milk to between 90 and 92 degrees Celsius to create coprecipitation of casein and whey protein before addition of lactic or citric acid.

This mixture of milk and whey is heated before enough food grade acid is added to drop the pH to the needed level (this could be some type of lactic, citric or acetic acid).

Whichever type of acid is used by the cheesemaker it is important to maintain correct pH levels for the sweetness of the cheese's flavor.