Cheese ripening and flavor development is a dynamic process and for mature cheeses the evolution of flavor and texture can often be slow. The ripening of cheese is largely controlled by intricate biochemical reactions mediated by several enzymes coming from milk, residual coagulant, starter and secondary bacteria as well as the non-starter bacteria. The flavor and texture characteristic of each cheese variety is a result of a series of microbiological and biochemical reactions the extent of which is dependent on the environmental conditions in the cheese – moisture, pH and salt content. However, variations in milk quality, plant hygiene, non-starter flora, moisture and salt levels can result in inconsistencies and loss of control over the ripening of cheese at industrial scale. To overcome some of these inconsistencies and achieve some control over the development of flavor and texture of many cheese types, Chr-Hansen has developed robotics assisted high throughput screening methods to characterize strains of bacteria, better understand their needs and their interactions to increase consistency and robustness of cultures. The focus of this talk will be on the omics and automation methods used to characterize individual strains for a range of phenotypes (acidification, flavor and texture potential), compounding design to identify optimal culture combinations, enhanced knowledge of their mode of action to manage which bacterial components, and to what proportions, are required for specific functionalities.