Cheese has been made around the globe for centuries, but research is shedding light on the chemicals that make cheese happen.

Associate Professor Mark Turner, of the University of Queensland’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, said one of the molecules they worked was discovered just seven years ago.

“At the moment it's fairly fundamental research: so we know that the bacteria grow in milk, and cheesemaking has been happening for thousands of years, but it's about better understanding how enzymes like these are controlled,” he said.

Cheese has been made for centuries, but scientists are only now discovering how certain enzymes affect the cheese making process.

The researchers were looking at an enzyme in lactococcus, the main starter bacterium used in the cheesemaking process in Australia and overseas.