All natural cheese is cheese made from just four basic ingredients: milk, salt, a starter culture containing bacteria, and an enzyme that causes the milk to solidify. That’s it. The term “natural” in this context simply distinguishes cheese produced through traditional fermentation from processed cheese, which is manufactured by melting down natural cheese and blending it with emulsifiers, extra sodium, and other additives to create a uniform, shelf-stable product.
The Four Ingredients in Natural Cheese
Every natural cheese starts with milk, whether from cows, goats, sheep, or buffalo. Salt is added for flavor and preservation. A starter culture, a specific mix of live bacteria, is introduced to begin fermenting the milk’s natural sugars. Finally, an enzyme called rennet clips the protein structures in milk, causing the liquid to separate into solid curds and liquid whey. The curds become cheese.
Rennet itself comes in several forms. Traditional rennet is extracted from the stomachs of young calves. Microbial rennet is produced by fungi, making it suitable for vegetarians. A third option uses genetically engineered microbes that carry the calf gene responsible for producing the clotting enzyme, yielding a pure version without animal involvement. Some cheesemakers use plant-based coagulants derived from thistle or cardoon flowers instead. All of these qualify as natural cheese production.
How Aging Creates Different Varieties
What separates a mild mozzarella from an intensely flavored parmesan is largely time. After the curds form, they’re pressed, shaped, and then left to ripen. During this stage, bacteria and enzymes slowly break down fats and proteins, generating the complex flavors and textures that define each variety.
Semi-hard cheeses like Gouda and Edam typically ripen for two to three months, developing caramel and nutty notes. Hard cheeses like cheddar and Gruyère age for three to twelve months. Extra-hard cheeses like parmesan and Romano mature slowly over one to two years, concentrating bold, fruity, and salty flavors. Throughout this process, water continuously evaporates from the cheese, which is why older cheeses tend to be drier and firmer. Semi-soft varieties like blue cheese and Limburger take a different path, ripening with the help of specific molds or surface bacteria that create their distinctive strong aromas.
How Natural Cheese Differs From Processed
Processed cheese is not made directly from milk. Instead, manufacturers take shredded natural cheeses of varying ages, add emulsifying salts like sodium citrate, monosodium phosphate, or various polyphosphates, then heat and stir the mixture under vacuum until it becomes a smooth, uniform mass. The result melts predictably, lasts longer on the shelf, and has a consistent texture from package to package.
The tradeoff is a significantly different nutritional profile and ingredient list. Processed cheese can also contain cream, butter oil, milk powder, vegetable oils, and citric acid for pH adjustment. Some formulations include sodium aluminum phosphate. The sodium difference is striking: natural cheddar averages about 615 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams, while processed cheese averages 1,242 milligrams per 100 grams, roughly double. That extra sodium comes both from the emulsifying salts themselves and from the manufacturing process.
The “Natural” Label Has a Catch
A block of cheddar from the cheese counter contains only the four core ingredients. But pre-shredded versions of that same natural cheese often include anti-caking agents to keep the shreds from clumping together. Common additions are potato starch, cellulose (a plant fiber), corn starch, or calcium sulfate, applied at anywhere from 1% to 5% of the total weight. These cheeses are still labeled and sold as natural cheese, not processed cheese, because the base product was made traditionally. But if you want cheese with absolutely nothing added beyond milk, salt, culture, and enzyme, buying a block and shredding it yourself is the way to go.
Lactose Levels in Aged Natural Cheese
One practical benefit of natural cheese, especially aged varieties, is that it contains very little lactose. The bacterial cultures used during production feed on lactose (milk sugar), and the longer cheese ages, the more lactose gets consumed. Swiss cheese and brie contain 0 to 1 gram of lactose per 100 grams. Gouda falls between 0 and 2 grams. Cheddar and parmesan range from about 1 to 3 grams. For comparison, a glass of milk contains roughly 12 grams. Most people with lactose sensitivity tolerate cheese with under 2 to 3 grams per 100 grams without issues, which includes the majority of aged natural cheeses.
Processed cheese can be less predictable on this front because manufacturers may add milk powder or other dairy solids back into the blend, potentially increasing the lactose content beyond what you’d find in the natural cheese it was made from.
How to Identify Natural Cheese at the Store
The ingredient list is the fastest way to tell. Natural cheese will list milk, salt, cultures, and enzymes. You might also see annatto, a plant-based coloring that gives some cheddars their orange hue. Processed cheese products will list “emulsifying salts,” “sodium phosphate,” “sodium citrate,” or similar chemical-sounding additives. They may also be labeled “pasteurized process cheese,” “cheese product,” or “cheese food,” each of which signals a different degree of processing and a higher moisture content.
Price and packaging offer clues too. Natural cheese is typically sold in blocks, wedges, or wheels, while processed cheese more often comes as individually wrapped slices, squeeze tubes, or shelf-stable spreads. But since shredded natural cheese can include anti-caking agents, reading the label remains the most reliable approach if the ingredient list matters to you.