Dutch type cheeses, notably edam and gouda, are made using complex starter cultures, that have been employed for centuries. Due to changes in strain composition within a culture, the quality frequently fluctuates. A team of Norwegian investigators has developed a tool that could be used to monitor the strains within a culture with high resolution, in order to maintain cheese quality. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.