Until the 1830s, the scientific studies of cheese-making were still fairly approximate, and the first full-scale examination of the milk-cheese industry wasn’t until 1834 when a surge in growth after the Napoleonic wars called for swift action.
The Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts in Milan announced a competitive exam in order to improve the quality of milk.

A panel of judges awarded prizes to two notable works: one by Luigi Cattaneo, “Il caseificio o la fabbricazione dei formaggi”, and Luigi Peregrini’s “Memoria attorno al miglioramento dei formaggi lombardi” [Record of the improvement of Lombard cheeses]. Carlo Befana wrote that these were "lavori che si completano a vicenda, prescindendo dalla parte scientifica, piuttosto scorretta e rudimentale, e che si possono considerare come le pubblicazioni più importanti che abbiano illustrato la tecnica del formaggio lodigiano ed i suoi rapporti con l'agricoltura della bassa Lombardia". [“works that completed one another, irrespective of their science, which is rather off-target and rudimentary, and that may be considered the most influential publications as they illustrate the cheese-making techniques of Lodi and its relationships with the agriculture of lower Lombardy"].

He also adds a note about the influence of these works and other scientific contributions: "In conseguenza di tutti questi studi e di esperimenti fatti in Lombardia da diverse persone, il metodo di fabbricazione del formaggio ha realmente migliorato". [“As a result of all these studies and experiments carried out in Lombardy by various people, the method of cheese-making has genuinely improved"].
New techniques also started to appear in dairies. The first thermometers were introduced and new discoveries were made about milk acidity; producers started to use rennet with a set, constant force, and special rooms were introduced specifically for ripening the cheese.
At the end of the 19th century, scientists discovered that the copper basins used to curdle the milk were turning the cheese green, "a problem that had taxed many minds", and perplexed cheese-makers for decades.
This discovery rid producers of a serious problem which had depreciated the cheese’s value and was unpopular with contemporary consumers.