Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Blue CheeseThe main different among these cheese is that Roquefort is made from sheep’s milk while Gorgonzola and blue are made from cow’s milk. Also, to be labeled, Roquefort cheese must be made in France.
Blue cheese may be made from raw, heated or pasteurized whole milk or from skim milk and cream mixtures, but butterfat content should be about 3.5%.
Raw milk or milk that hass been heated at temperatures lower than those used for pasteurization is preferred, since lipase action is required for ripening of this type of cheese and heating pasteurization temperature inactivates lipase.
Lipase is an enzyme that splits fats into glycerin and fatty acids.
If skim milk and cream used as the main ingredients, and the cream is too yellow in color, it may bleached by treating with benzoyl peroxide If the whole milk is used, the temperature is adjusted to 85F (29.4C() and the milk is homogenized.
After homogenization, the temperature of the product is raised to 90F (32.2C), a lactic acid starter culture is added and the product is held at 90F (32.2C) for a period of 1 hr.
The enzyme rennet is the added to coagulate the mixture, which is allowed to stand for another 45-60 mins. The curd then is cut into half in. (1-3cm) cubes, after which it is stirred for 15 min while being held at the incubation temperature.The whey is then drained and the curd is mixed with about 1% salt, and then placed in racks lined with cheesecloth and allowed to drain.
After draining, the curd in sterilized hoods, and as the hoops are filled, and the curd is mixed with bread crimson which a culture of mold Penicillium roqueforti has been inoculated and allowed to grow.
The hoop containing the curd are held at 65 – 68F (18.3 – 20 C) for part of the day, after which the product is placed in the room at 50-55F (10-12.8C) where salt is applied tom the surface of the cheese daily until the slat content reaches 4-4.5%. The cheeses are then removed to a ripening room where they are held for 2-3 months at 50-55F (10-12.8C) and a relative humidity of 5%.
The latter procedure permits air to enter to the products so that the mold, which reures oxugen, will grow. After curing, the surfaces of the cheeses are scrapped, and the cheeses are then cut into small wedges and wrapped in the plastics cups.
Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Blue Cheese
