Roquefort cheese is a French blue cheese. It is made from sheep milk. Traditional Roquefort is made only in the Rouépres province in the south of France.
Roquefort cheese production technology
Roquefort cheese (see photo below) is made from good-quality raw or pasteurized milk with an acidity of 19 ° T, which is brought to 23-25 \u200b\u200b° T before clotting, for which 3-5% lactic acid bacteria starter is added to the milk. The coagulation temperature of milk is 29-32 ° C, duration is 1-1.5 hours.
Photo Roquefort cheese
The curd is cut into cubes 1-1.5 cm in size, then the grain is carefully kneaded for 40-45 minutes to the required density.
To drain the whey, the finished grain, together with a part of the remaining whey, is laid out for 30-40 minutes on a table covered with serpentine.
The dried and caked cheese mass is crushed on crushers, stirred and laid out in molds.
Photo getting a clot of Roquefort cheese
During the production process, namely molding, the roquefort cheese mass is seeded layer by layer with Penicillium roqueforti mold powder.
The thickness of each layer of cheese mass is 2-3 cm, the number of mold layers is 3-4.
10-15 grams of mold powder is consumed per 100 kg of cheese mass.
Filled forms of Roquefort cheese for self-pressing and drying are left for 2-3 days in a room with an air temperature of 18-22 ° C.
On the first day, the cheeses are turned over 3 times: after 10-20 minutes and then after 10-12 hours.
On the 2nd and 3rd day, they are turned over every 12 hours.
The end of drying is judged by the pleasant sour-milk aroma of Roquefort cheese.
On the third day, Roquefort cheese is freed from molds, washed and salted with dry salt or brine.
In the first case, the cheeses are rubbed with fine dry salt every other day for 8-10 days at a salt room temperature of 8-10 ° C.
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When salting in brine, Roquefort cheese is placed for 4-5 days in 22-24% brine (temperature 13-15 ° C). After that, they are washed and dried on the shelves within 24 hours.
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Ripening of Roquefort
To provide air access to the inside of the roquefort head and the development of mold, the cheeses, after drying, are pierced on a special machine with needles with a diameter of 3 mm, making 30-40 through punctures on the cheese web.
When cooked, Roquefort ripens in the basement at an air temperature of 6-8 ° C and a humidity of 90-95%.
Ripening Roquefort cheese is on the rib on grooved shelves 25 cm wide with a depression in the middle.
In the case of increased development of mold, the cheeses are laid with the flat side after 1-1.5 months.
Photo of the ripening of Roquefort cheese according to the technology of its production
In the process of leaving, the cheese is rubbed every other day and excess mucus is removed.
Roquefort matures within 2 months. Ripe cheese is wrapped in foil.
Matured for up to 4-5 months at a temperature of 6-8 ° C, Roquefort cheese with mold becomes even more spicy.
Pictured is blue French cheese
Roquefort cheese appeared in France. This blue blue cheese is made from sheep's milk. Mature cheese is covered with a white crust that is moist enough to the touch. Inside there is a cream-colored pulp with a gray tint, which contains holes with blue mold (see photo). By the way, if the mold is not evenly distributed, this indicates that the cheese was made by hand.
Roquefort cheese production technology is similar to others, but at the same time it has its own characteristics. First, the process of souring milk and separating the whey from the curd mass takes place. At this point, fungal spores are injected. Then the mass is divided, cut and laid out in special shapes and salted. Roquefort cheese ripens without fail on oak shelves in limestone caves, and good aeration must be provided in the room.
Since it is simply impossible to cut Roquefort cheese with an ordinary knife, for this product its own individual device was invented, which looks like a machine with steel wire. Real Roquefort cheese is produced only in one place on earth - the province of Rouergue, France. Although today this product is produced in other countries, but in this case it cannot be considered "real".
Selection and storage
When choosing quality Roquefort cheese, you should pay attention to the appearance of the product. On its surface, there should be no visible channels through which mold was introduced into the cheese. This cheese should be soft and crumbly, but it shouldn't break in your hands.
It is recommended to purchase Roquefort cheese in small quantities so that it does not need to be stored for a long time. In the refrigerator, the product must be stored in the packaging in which it was sold, while the cut must be covered with paper. As for cling film, it is highly undesirable for this cheese. You can place Roquefort cheese in a sealed container so that mold does not spread to other foods and the product does not absorb foreign odors.
Beneficial features
The benefits of Roquefort cheese are due to the presence of vitamins and minerals. Sodium is found in large quantities in this product, which is involved in the normalization of the water balance in the body. Potassium is part of this cheese, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system. There is calcium in Roquefort, which strengthens bones and teeth. Phosphorus is found in this product, which is actively involved in protein synthesis and in the restoration of bone and muscle tissue. With this in mind, it is recommended to include this product in the diet for fractures.
Lactic acids are included in Roquefort cheese, which are necessary for the normalization of metabolism. The mold in this product provokes the production of melanin in the body, which protects the skin from ultraviolet rays.
Roquefort cheese has an anti-inflammatory effect, therefore it can be included in the menu of medical nutrition during the period of joint inflammation. This product has been proven to reduce the risk of cellulite, wrinkles and slow down the aging process.
Cooking use
Roquefort cheese is a great appetizer and dessert. Before serving it to the table, it is recommended to get it out of the refrigerator in advance so that it warms up and reveals its flavor bouquet. The French love to eat this product with toast, and also in combination with fruits and nuts. In addition, you can use Roquefort cheese in salad recipes and first courses.
Harm of Roquefort cheese and contraindications
Roquefort cheese can be harmful to people with an individual intolerance to the product. In addition, it is worth considering the high calorie content of this product, which means that it cannot be eaten when losing weight, as well as for people with obesity. It should also be borne in mind that with regular consumption, mold reduces the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora, which in turn will lead to dysbiosis.
Health
Scientists have discovered that French Roquefort cheese, known for its mold and green veins, has a unique anti-inflammatory properties.
This may help unravel the "French paradox" and explain why people living in this country enjoy enviable health despite their high saturated fat content.
The best properties of this oldest cheese in the world are revealed when it is ripe.
Roquefort matures in caves in the south of France near the city of Toulouse. Its benefits are revealed in the acidic environment of the body, such as in the gastric mucosa and on the surface of the skin.
Dr. Ivan Petyaev and Yuri Bashmakov of Lycotec, who conducted the study, argue that the anti-inflammatory properties of cheese can be used to fight cardiovascular diseases and use in anti aging creams.
Scientists have long been trying to solve the "French paradox". After all, as you know, the French love cheese, butter, white bread and wine. It used to be that red wine was the secret of French longevity.
However, the researchers suspected that there were some other components of the French diet, which explains why representatives of this nation are much less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.
The benefits of blue cheese
Blue cheeses or blue cheeses are obtained by insertion into them with a needle and other methods special types of moldsuch as Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium glaucum, which give them their characteristic taste and smell.
This mold is known for fighting harmful bacteria in the body.
In addition, blue cheeses usually make from goat milk, which is considered healthier than cow and contains less cholesterol.
The most famous varieties of blue cheese: brie, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Danable, Stilton, Bleu d'Auvergne and others.
Blue cheeses are a good source of calories, high quality protein, vitamins and minerals. He is rich vitamins A and B, calcium, iron and phosphorus.
It is best to pair blue cheese with vegetables, salads, steaks, fruits, crackers and add to soups and sauces.
The high calcium content of cheese is believed to help prevent osteoporosis and migraines, reduce the risk of premenstrual syndrome, breast cancer and thrombosis.
The harm of blue cheese
Blue cheeses contraindicated for allergy sufferersif the person is allergic to mold.
Also better from them refuse during pregnancyas they may contain listeria bacteria, which can negatively affect the developing fetus.
In general, blue cheeses such as Roquefort and others are safe for health. In their manufacture, special types of mold are used that do not threaten health.
Soft cheeses such as cottage cheese, cream cheese, which have developed mold, need throwing away... They can contain dangerous bacteria such as listeria, salmonella, and E. coli that can grow on mold.
- Mold on hard cheesessuch as cheddar, parmesan, and Swiss cheese should be cut to about 2.5 cm.
Perhaps, this word has the closest connection with the idea of \u200b\u200b"unusual", not just table cheese, which, in fact, it is.
The cheese, the legend of the origin of which is extrapolated to all cheeses with mold - the very story of a young lady and shepherdess.
Cheese that cannot be made from “just” milk - it is taken from only three breeds of sheep - this is all Roquefort.
It cannot be made at home if you do not live in the province of Rouergue and do not have your own limestone grotto - for these reasons, we can only try to recreate the Roquefort-type sire, which will have a glossy cheese body with blue mold lacunae and a scent of hazelnuts.
Ingredients
- 8 l sheep milk
- 1/8 tsp mesophilic starter culture 1
- 1/8 tsp mold Penicillium Roqueforti
- 1.7 ml 10% solution of 2 calcium chloride
- 2.4 ml liquid rennet
- 2 tbsp salt
1 0.32 g Danisco Choozit MA 11, or you can use MEZO-1 starter culture 3/8 tsp. (0.85 g).
Dissolve 2 10 grams of dry calcium chloride in 100 ml of boiled water.
Store the solution in a household refrigerator.
Usable until sediment forms.
Equipment
2 or rather two
Preparation
- You have pasteurized 3 milk, cool it to 32 ° C, now you can add the leaven. Let the powder rehydrate for 3 minutes, then stir slowly with a slotted spoon.
- Collect 50 ml of warm water in 2 containers: in one you add a solution of calcium chloride (not granules!), In the second - a coagulant (rennet / vegetarian chymosin), then add the mixture to the pan, stir again, and, for clot formation, leave on 30-40 minutes, maintaining t \u003d 30 ° C.
- After this time, you will see a cheese curd - a gel, under a layer of translucent whey. It must be checked for a "clean break": for this you need to take a knife and make a shallow incision "at an angle" and lift this part of the clot; if its edges are even, the incision sites are filled with serum - this means that it is time to move on to the next stage; if this did not happen, wait another 10-15 minutes.
- Cut the clot into cubes with side 2 cm, and leave for 5 minutes for them to settle and excess serum separates. Then knead the mass for ~ 30 minutes at t \u003d 32-33 ° C - during this time, the cubes are converted into grain and gain elasticity.
- Now collect 1/5 of the curd in a drainage bag, shake to remove excess whey, and add 1/4 of the mold; don't squeeze the bag - at this stage, you need to achieve a spongy structure of the cheese. Transfer the grain from the bag to the mold without compacting - this manipulation must be carried out 4 more times; the top layer must be free of mold.
- It's good if you have 2 drainage bags - you moved one, and the second served as a destination, if so - wrap the ends of the fabric, cover the cheese with a lid and leave on 30 minutes for self-pressing; if there was no bag, you will not be able to "wrap the ends of the fabric", but you just have to cover it with a lid and leave it for the same, for the same period.
- Half an hour has passed - you need to turn the cheese over, weigh it, and start pressing.
Gold pressing rule:
30 minutes – one weight (1 kg) cheese loaves
1 hour – two weights (2 kg) cheese loaves
2 hours – three weights (3 kg) cheese loaves
Remember to turn the cheese each time before adding a load. - The pressing was successful - it's time to salt!
Gold salting rule: 1% salt by weight of the head, i.e., per 100 gram - 1 gram of salt.
Weigh the required amount (individually for each head), and gently distribute with your hand over the surface, then return the cheese to the mold, which is on a drainage mat and refrigerate for 24 hours. - Finally, the Roquefort can be freed from its form, and transfer to a large container (with a volume of at least 6 liters) for maturation, in which the cheese will be 5 days at t \u003d 10-13 ° C - do not forget about daily care!
- The last step is to make your cheese perforated so that mold can grow from the inside. This will help, for example, a sushi stick: do through punctures on distance no more than 1.5 cm from each other.
- The time has come for anxious waiting. After 2 weeks, blue mold will appear, but the minimum maturing period for Roquefort is 2 months at t \u003d 10-13 ° C.
3 It is important to remember that cheese cannot be cooked from store-bought packaged milk - in dairies pasteurization is carried out at high temperatures, as a result of which protein denaturation occurs, and a curd simply does not form. You can buy raw farm milk, and pasteurize it yourself, heating to t \u003d 72-75 ° C, you need to stand for 20 seconds, then cool as soon as possible. Also, you can carry out this operation at t \u003d 65-68 ° C, but it will take longer - 20 minutes, the process cannot be accelerated, because not all pathogenic bacteria will die.
Ripening care:
Wipe down the container and turn the cheese daily. We recommend placing them on the bottom of the container, under the drainage mat - in the first days they will absorb excess moisture, when there is less condensation, they can be removed.
It is important to monitor the humidity during the ripening period of Roquefort - if it is too high, the crust will soften and deteriorate too quickly. The optimum humidity level for Roquefort is 85-90%.
After 2 months of ripening, the cheese is ready for use, if you have not overcome the whole head at once, then keep it wrapped in parchment paper.
Storage: up to 4 months, at t \u003d 2-6 ° C.
Requirements for obtaining milk for cheese making
According to V.V. Kuznetsov, G.G. Shilera, milk is a good environment for the development of microflora: if during milking during subsequent processing and storage it is contaminated with microorganisms, then the quality of milk as a result of their development quickly deteriorates. Through milk and dairy products, tuberculosis, brucellosis and other diseases can be transmitted to humans. To prevent this from happening, dairy cattle must be under strict veterinary and sanitary supervision. Persons involved in obtaining milk on farms must observe personal hygiene, periodically undergo medical examinations and testing for bacilli. Livestock buildings should be regularly disinfected, whitewashed with fresh lime and maintained in good sanitary condition. It is necessary to remove manure in a timely manner, replace the litter, ventilate the farmyards, etc. Dairy cattle should be periodically cleaned of dirt and dust.
To get good-quality raw milk, they organize the correct keeping, feeding and watering of animals. Rations for cows are made taking into account the presence of proteins (protein), lipids, phosphorus and calcium salts, vitamins, trace elements, sodium chloride, etc. in feed.
Farms should have well-equipped dairy departments with equipment for receiving, cleaning and cooling milk to 6 ... C and storing it, as well as for pasteurizing or boiling milk from sick animals, separating part of the milk to obtain skim needed for feeding calves. To keep the inventory, dishes and milking equipment in proper sanitary condition, farms must be provided with hot water and disinfecting materials (peracetic acid preparations, bleach, etc.).
For machine milking of cows and primary processing of milk on farms, milking installations are used. Before installing the teat cups, the first portions of milk containing the greatest number of microorganisms are taken into a separate container and used after boiling on the farm for animal feed.
Modern milking installations, widely used in agriculture, provide high-quality milk without contact with air and human hands. Milk from the milking machines goes through a filter and a cooler in a cooled state to storage tanks, and from them to a tank truck. In this case, each section of the moltcistern should be filled with milk of one milk yield.
For evaluation and sorting, milk samples are taken after thorough mixing.
Milk separators or stationary flow filters are used to purify milk at processing plants. To measure the amount of milk, either a milk scale or flow milk meters are used. Part of the incoming milk, after its purification and cooling, is sent to tanks for storage and maturation, the rest is for processing in a mixture with mature milk prepared the day before.
Quality control.
According to G.V. Tverdokhleb et al. , the quality of raw milk is monitored at all processing processes. In the production of dairy products, the requirements of the current technical documentation must be strictly observed.
Dairy enterprises should not accept milk without certificates of veterinary and sanitary well-being of dairy farms, as well as from individual suppliers. In the first case, certificates are provided monthly, and in the second - at least once a quarter.
According to ZS Sokolova, LI Lakomova, VG Tinyakov, raw materials (milk and cream) and auxiliary materials intended for the production of cheese must comply with the requirements of GOST and technical specifications. After milking, the milk must be filtered and cooled. At the enterprises of the dairy industry, upon delivery and acceptance, the temperature of milk should be no higher than 10, and at the farm - no higher than 6. Milk must not be frozen. Upon delivery and acceptance, milk must be whole, natural, white; sediment and flakes are not allowed; should not contain antibiotics, detergents and disinfectants. Heavy metal level,
mycotoxins, residues of pesticides should not exceed the permissible values \u200b\u200bestablished by the current sanitary standards.
During the primary processing of milk, the main stages of quality control are inspection of containers, assessment of organoleptic indicators, temperature measurements, selection of a combined sample to determine physical, mechanical, biochemical and microbiological indicators and sorting of milk. The control of each batch of milk must be carried out within 40 minutes from the moment of arrival at the enterprise.
To determine the quality of milk and cream by physical and mechanical, as well as milk by microbiological indicators, a combined sample is taken from each batch, made up of point samples that were placed in one container.
Sampling and preparing them for analyzes are carried out in accordance with the current GOST.
Milk received from farms, unfavorable for infectious diseases, is accepted only with the permission of the veterinary service.
Organoleptic characteristics (taste, smell, color and consistency) of raw materials are assessed after mixing in each unit of the received container.
Measures to improve the cheese suitability.
According to SA Bredikhin, V, N, Yurin, milk intended for the production of cheese must be cheese-free. Cheese suitability of milk is characterized by interrelated indicators of chemical, biochemical composition, physicochemical, technological properties, microbiological indicators. In accordance with the recommendations of VNIIMS, cheese milk should have the following parameters: mass fraction of protein,%, not less than 3; titratable acidity, T - 16-18; density, kg / - 1027; degree of purity, group, not lower than - 1; bacterial contamination, thousand cells in 1 ml, not more than 500; the number of mesophilic anaerobic lactate-fermenting bacteria in 1 ml, no more - 10; the number of somatic cells in 1 ml, no more than 500; rennet-fermentation test, class, not lower than II.
Mass fraction of fat in milk should be more than 3.6%, SNF more than 8.4%, and the optimal ratio between fat and protein is 1.25-1.1; between fat and SNF 0.46-0.4; between protein and SOMO 0.42-0.36.
The milk clot must be firm under the influence of rennet.
Milk that is poorly clotted by rennet (rennet) forms a flabby, poor serum-secreting clot. To correct such milk, calcium chloride is added to it, the dose of sourdough is increased, higher clotting and second heating temperatures are set within the limits of permissible standards.
Pasteurized milk also forms a weak curd that slowly releases whey. To obtain a dense clot, add calcium chloride or a mixture of dibasic and mono-sodium phosphate with calcium chloride.
According to V.A.Onopriyko, A.V. Onopriyko, cheese suitability can also be increased by ripening milk. At the same time, calcium and phosphorus salts from the colloidal state pass into a soluble state, the acidity of milk increases and the duration of coagulation is reduced.
To eliminate unpleasant odors, milk is evacuated using a vacuum cleaner or deodorizer.
Spores of lactic and butyric acid bacteria can be removed by bactofugation. The influence of gassing microflora is neutralized by adding potassium or sodium nitrate (nitrate) to milk at the rate of no more than 30 g per 100 kg of milk. Along with saltpeter, you can use the enzyme lysozyme, obtained from the proteins of chicken eggs (drug "Afilakt" company "Christian Hansen"). The drug is especially effective for the production of cheeses with long ripening periods (Swiss, Soviet, Caucasian, etc.).
Complete technology for the production of Roquefort cheese
According to A. Telegin, Roquefort is the true patriarch of French cheeses. Roquefort's birthday is June 4, 1070. Real Roquefort is prepared exclusively from sheep's milk, and of all sheep's cheeses, only Roquefort has managed to deserve indisputable world fame. To prepare this live cheese, the penicillium rokforti mold, which is grown on rye bread, is added to the cheese mass. The name of this cheese was given by the small town of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, located on the ruins of Mount Kambalou, which formed a system of grottoes and mines. There, in the grottoes, natural limestone cellars, the famous Roquefort matures. Cracks in the rocks, creating continuous air currents, help maintain the desired temperature (7 ° C) and humidity, ideal for fungus growth.
The cheese ripens thoughtfully and unhurriedly. During maturation, the heads of the roquefort are pierced so that the fungus grows inward, forming slit-like veins. After 3 months, the dough becomes flexible, the blue veins penetrate into the cheese body, and the roquefort acquires the desired consistency and taste. In the grottoes, about 16 thousand tons of this cheese ripens annually.
On the packaging of a true Roquefort, there is a “security” red seal - a lamb in an oval. The soft, buttery, slightly crumbly roquefort dough is laced with greenish-blue streaks of mold, which is usually more in the center of the cheese head. For its piquant taste and delicate aroma, connoisseurs call Roquefort an aristocratic cheese. This particularly gourmet cheese can add flavor to any salad and pasta dish. Among the analogues of Roquefort - Bleu d'Auvergne, French cheese with blue mold.
The technology of making roquefort at the first stages is traditional for all cheeses: souring milk, separating the cheese mass, cutting the cheese mass, arranging it into shapes, salting.
To get the penicillinum Rocforti inside the cheese, the heads are pierced with long needles. Air with the fungus enters the holes and populates the body of the cheese, eating it and forming voids. If Roquefort is overexposed, mold can eat it almost entirely.
Blue cheeses, unlike simple soft cheeses, are usually sold in slices. Even if they are on the shelves in ready-made plastic packages, they are still slicing. They ripen in large enough heads that it makes no sense to buy them entirely. These cheeses are live, they are not stored for a long time, and it is better to take enough of them to eat right away. If they go as an accompaniment to wine, then for a group of 3-4 people a piece of 100-130 grams is enough.
For cutting the roquefort, a special device was invented, which is called "roquefortaise" (la roquefortaise). Rockfortezka is a machine, the cutting element of which is a stretched wire. Such a device makes it possible not to disturb the structure of the delicate mold inside the cheese, which is easy to crush with an ordinary, even well-sharpened, knife. Later, Roquefort was used to cut any "blue" cheeses (for example, bleu d "Auvergne or bleu de Bresse), since they all look like Roquefort.
Roquefort cheese is very good naturally. Burgundy wines and fruits are very suitable for it. In addition, Roquefort is often used in cooking - with it, the same puree soup or casserole acquires a different taste.
Roquefort cheese is useful if it is made in strict accordance with the technology of cheese making. Roquefort is perfectly absorbed by the human body, and eight amino acids, bacteria and vitamins useful for the intestines make it a truly valuable food product. There is even scientific evidence on the protective effect of the noble blue mold on harmful sunlight. A person who regularly eats Roquefort cheese develops a kind of immunity to ultraviolet light.
According to V.V. Kuznetsova, G.G. Shilera, cheese is produced from mature milk with an acidity of 2 T. The normalized mixture is made up of skim milk and cream, which are homogenized in two stages (43-45), first at a pressure of 7-8 MPa, and then at 2-3 MPa. The homogenization of the cream increases the cheese yield by 8-9%, reduces the fat content in the whey, increases the water-holding capacity of the cheese mass, reduces the shrinkage of the cheese and accelerates the ripening process of the cheese.
The fat-normalized milk is pasteurized at a temperature of 75-76 with an exposure time of 20-25 s and cooled to the coagulation temperature (10). Then the milk is left to ripen to increase the acidity (2 T). Next, the normalized mixture is heated to a temperature of 29-32. Before curdling, first calcium chloride and a bacterial starter, consisting of lactic acid and aromatic streptococci, and then a suspension of Penis.roqueforti mold spores and milk-clotting enzyme are introduced into the milk. The optimum acidity of milk at the time of adding the enzyme is T. The clotting temperature is set at 29-32, the duration of clotting is 30-40 minutes.
The finished clot should be dense, giving an even break with sharp edges. A small amount of whey should stand out on the surface of the finished curd. After cutting the clot to fix the grain, a 10-minute stop is made. During kneading, 5-minute breaks are made every 10 minutes. With a normally developed lactic acid process, the processing time is 40-60 minutes. The finished grain should be heavy on hand, not coarse, not too dry, and sufficiently tender. After the end of kneading, whey is removed (up to 60% to the amount of processed milk), and the curd together with the remaining whey is fed to the whey separator (when molding in bulk) or directly into molds (when molding in bulk). In this case, it is very important not to allow the curd to cool, as this slows down the release of whey. The air temperature in the room where the cheese is formed should be 18-20.
At the end of molding, the roquefort in molds is sent to the fermentation chamber for self-pressing (with a temperature of 18-20 and humidity of 90-95%) and an increase in active acidity, where it is kept for 1 ... 2 days. After 20 ... 30 minutes after the end of molding, the first turning of the cheese is carried out, 1 hour after that - the second, after 3 hours - the third, after 8 ... 10 hours - the fourth and the next - 12 hours after the previous ones. At the end of the cheese aging in the fermentation room, the active acidity of the cheese mass before salting has a pH value of 4.6 ... 4.7.
The cheese is salted in brine with a concentration of at least 20%, with a temperature of no higher than 15 (preferably 10-12) for 4-5 days. It is advisable to use partial salting in grain (200 ... 300 g of salt per 100 kg of mixture). In this case, salt is added in the form of brine to the finished grain 15 ... 20 minutes before the cheese is formed. After salting, the cheese is dried for 1 ... 2 days, cleaned, slightly scraped, and then pierced (40 ... 60 through punctures). After piercing, the Roquefort cheese is sent to the ripening chamber for 45-50 days, where the temperature is set to 5-6 and the relative humidity is 88-90%.
At the end of ripening (at the age of 45 ... 50 days) in order to obtain a product with a well-developed taste and smell, the cheese is wrapped in laminated foil and kept in a chamber at a temperature of 2 ... C and a relative humidity of 85% until the standard age.
Quality control of finished products
According to R. Scott, R. K, Robinson, R. A. Wilby, Roquefort cheese refers to soft cheeses that ripen with the participation of lactic acid bacteria and blue mold that develops in the cheese mass. This cheese is made only from sheep's milk (Lacaune breed). Cheese produced mainly in the Aueyron department (France), and even imported from about. Corsica and the Pyrenees are sure to be aged in the Roquefort caves for their signature properties. Roquefort has a cylindrical shape. Typical dimensions: diameter 19-20 cm, height 8-10 cm, weight 2.5-3 kg. Small dairy processing enterprises are engaged in production.
Roquefort must have a fat mass fraction of at least 50% in dry matter, not more than 45% moisture and not more than 5% salt. The cheese has a thin crust, covered with yellow-white mucus or dry, white creamy cheese dough with the growth of blue, gray-blue or gray-green mold, the structure is soft, fatty, but the cheese dough is dense, sometimes loose and crumbly. Roquefort milk should be 8% fat and high in protein. To control the hygienic quality of milk, a test with resazurin is used. Sheep milk is white, so bleaching is not necessary.
According to V.N.Borodin, from the outside, Roquefort is covered with a white, always slightly damp and shiny crust. Inside his body, on the contrary, thanks to the action of mold, it is softened down to the pulp of an oily property, easily crumbling, in places dense and everything is penetrated through by blue veins of mold, which also forms small cavities. The whole filling depends on how the cheese ripens. For example, one made by hand differs in that the mold inside it is unevenly distributed.
The scent of Roquefort is incredibly complex and difficult to describe; a very complex bouquet. We can only say that it should contain two basic tones: a powerful, pronounced smell of sheep's milk and a light, non-intrusive smell of mold. The rest of the semitones to a greater extent depend only on the development of your sense of smell and imagination. Most talk about the smell of hazelnuts, it reminds poetic natures of autumn leaf fall, and the originals - a working copy machine (which, by the way, is quite present).
Roquefort has a delicate, creamy, slightly salty taste with an amazing aftertaste. A taste that lasts for a long time in the mouth, making you want more and more. Moreover, it is not at all aggressive, it goes best with nuts and figs. Its flavor ambiguity also adds mystery: it is different in different parts of the cheese head. The most saturated is in the center, since it is there that the most mold is found. The most discreet is felt at the crust. This difference also gave rise to a kind of Roquefort cutting etiquette: each piece must necessarily be with a crust and contain both the middle and outer parts of the head. It is better to start eating this slice from the bland edge, ending with the spicy one.
Nutrients, vitamins, trace elements per 100 g (Roquefort cheese):
Caloric value: 358.3 kcal
Water: 40.9 g
Proteins: 21.5 g
Fat: 30.0 g
Carbohydrates: 0.6 g
Unsaturated fatty acids: 16.9 g
Cholesterol: 69.0 mg
Mono- and disaccharides: 0.6 g
Organic acids: 0.4 g
Ash: 6.6 g
Vitamin A: 0.4 mg
Vitamin B1: 0.03 mg
Vitamin B2: 0.4 mg
Vitamin B3: 1.2 mg
Vitamin B6: 0.2 mg
Vitamin B9: 39.0 mcg
Vitamin B12: 0.6 μg
Vitamin C: 0.6 mg
Vitamin E: 0.4 mg
Vitamin H: 4.2 μg
Vitamin PP: 0.3 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Potassium: 180.0 mg
Calcium: 740.0 mg
Magnesium: 50.0 mg
Sodium: 1900.0 mg
Phosphorus: 410.0 mg
Copper: 60.0 μg
Zinc: 3500.0 μg
According to G.N.Krus et al. , the quality assessment and sorting of cheeses is carried out after they have reached the conditioned maturity. The cheeses released for sale are examined and evaluated by an expert. The assessment begins with an external inspection of the packaging, labeling, skin condition and protective coating. To assess the quality of the cheese, a sample is taken; one part of the sample is used for sensory evaluation, and the other part is used to determine the chemical composition of the cheese (mass fraction of fat in dry matter of cheese, moisture and sodium chloride).
When evaluating cheeses, characteristics of the taste and smell of cheese, its consistency, pattern, color of the dough, appearance are given and deviations of indicators from the requirements of the standard are established. The assessment is carried out on a 100-point system, each indicator is assigned a certain number of points: taste and smell - 45 points, consistency - 25, drawing - 10, dough color - 5, appearance - 10, packaging and labeling - 5 points.
Depending on the score, the cheeses are classified as one of the following varieties: the highest - the overall score is from 87 to 100 points, including at least 37 points for taste and smell; the first - an overall score of 75 to 86 points. Cheese that has received an assessment of less than 75 points or does not meet the requirements of the standard in composition are not allowed for sale, but must be processed.
Soft and some hard cheeses (Russian, Poshekhonsky, Lithuanian, etc.) are not subdivided into varieties. In this case, the conformity or non-conformity of the quality and composition of the product with the requirements of the regulatory and technical documentation is established. If the quality of the product does not meet the requirements of the normative and technical documentation, the cheese is not subject to acceptance. It is sent for industrial processing.
A qualitative assessment of cheeses can reveal defects in taste and smell, texture, pattern, color.
