Raw-Milk Products: A Voyage of Discovery
Making raw-milk products involves much more than simply not heating the milk. Raw milk contains a highly diverse microbiome. In order to ensure food safety and enjoyment, holistic production systems that encompass the entire value chain from pasture to plate are essential. In this way, the desirable bacteria are able to develop their full effect and the undesirable bacteria die off. The decades-long – sometimes even centuries-long – experience that has been collected, nurtured and passed on is of inestimable value.
At the Centre of Excellence for Raw-Milk Products, Hans-Peter Bachmann, a project leader at Agroscope, has attempted to document, understand and scientifically classify this experience. His parents run a village cheese dairy, so the topic is a familiar one for which he has had a life-long fascination. After studying Food Sciences, he wrote a dissertation on the food safety of raw-milk cheeses.
His sense of curiosity and 30 years’ experience in cheese research have led him on a journey of discovery throughout Switzerland. These travel reports on seven cheese dairies producing raw milk cheeses describe people and processes that piqued his interest, admiration and enthusiasm, and the new knowledge gleaned from these visits.
