What living ingredients are in cheese?

Here's why:

* Milk contains bacteria that are essential for cheese making. These bacteria convert lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid, which curdles the milk proteins.

* The cheesemaking process involves controlled fermentation using these bacteria. This process kills most other microorganisms in the milk, including any potential pathogens.

* The finished cheese does not contain any living bacteria in significant numbers. The bacteria have done their job and are now part of the cheese structure.

While cheese might contain some live bacteria (such as beneficial cultures added during production), these are not considered "living ingredients" in the traditional sense.