Frederic Melton
Blue cheese is a semi-soft, creamy, and pungent cheese known for its blue-green veins. It is made from different types of milk and different techniques. Blue cheese is quite an accidental style of cheese. Salt is added to blue cheese to act as a preservative and to prevent spoilage. It also adds a lot of flavour to the cheese. Blue cheese is often described as salty and funky.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Salt content | Blue cheese contains more salt compared to other cheeses. Salt is added to blue cheese to act as a preservative and to prevent spoilage. |
| Taste | Blue cheese has a salty taste. |
| Pairing | Blue cheese is often paired with sweet foods such as dried fruits, honey, and dessert wine to balance the salty taste. |
| Production | Salt is added to blue cheese during the production process. |
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What You'll Learn
Why is blue cheese salty?
Blue cheese is a semi-soft, creamy, and pungent cheese known for its blue-green veins. It is made from different types of milk and different techniques. For example, Roquefort is made from sheep's milk and aged in caves, while Gorgonzola is made from cow's milk.
Blue cheese is salty because salt is added during the production process to act as a preservative and to prevent spoilage. The salt also adds flavour to the cheese. Salt is typically added to blue cheese, a fermented food, to stop unwanted bacteria from growing inside the cheese as it ages.
The amount of salt in blue cheese varies depending on the type of cheese and the production method. For example, salt is added to the outside of aged blue cheeses, which makes them saltier than younger varieties.
The saltiness of blue cheese is often described as a salty bite or salty tang. This salty flavour is said to pair well with sweet foods and drinks such as dessert wine, honey, dried fruit, and beer.
In addition to salt, sugar may also be added during the production process. This mixture is then inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti, a type of mould that gives blue cheese its distinctive colour and flavour.
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Salt as a preservative
Blue cheese is a semi-soft, creamy, and pungent cheese known for its blue-green veins. During the production of blue cheese, salt is added to the cheese curds to provide flavour and to act as a preservative.
Salt has been used as a food preservative since ancient times. Salt is effective as a preservative because it reduces the water activity of foods. Water activity refers to the amount of unbound water available for microbial growth and chemical reactions. Salt draws water out of food and bacteria, leaving them dehydrated and unable to grow. This process is called osmosis.
Salt also disrupts the microbial cells, causing them to undergo osmotic shock and lose water, leading to cell death or retarded growth. Additionally, salt may limit oxygen solubility, interfere with cellular enzymes, or force cells to expend energy to exclude sodium ions from the cell, all of which can reduce the rate of microbial growth.
While salt is effective in preserving food, it takes very high salt concentrations (around 10% or more) to prevent bacterial growth. Such high concentrations of salt can negatively impact the flavour, texture, and structure of the preserved food. Furthermore, excessive salt intake can have negative health effects, such as high blood pressure.
Today, salt is often used in combination with other preservation methods, such as refrigeration, pH control, and chemical preservatives, to create a stable and safe product.
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Salt migration in blue cheese
Blue cheese is a semi-soft, creamy, and pungent cheese known for its blue-green veins. Salt is added to the cheese to provide flavour and to act as a preservative. The addition of salt to blue cheese is a complex process, as it plays a crucial role in modulating the physicochemical and biochemical properties of the cheese during ripening. Salt also helps to control the development of microorganisms and contributes to the sensory characteristics of the final product.
During the production of blue cheese, salt is added at multiple stages. In the first phase, salt is added to autoclaved, homogenized milk via a sterile solution. This mixture is then inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti, a crucial component in the development of blue cheese's distinctive characteristics. The solution is incubated, and more salt may be added during this process. Subsequently, the curds are formed and drained, and additional salt is applied through brine salting or dry salting. This step ensures the preservation of the cheese and influences its texture.
The salt migration process in blue cheese specifically refers to the movement of salt within the cheese matrix. This migration plays a significant role in the softening of the cheese, known as "cold melt". The rate of salt migration is influenced by various factors, including the initial concentration of salt, temperature, and the difference in water activities between the cheese and its surrounding environment. An edible barrier can be used to reduce, but not completely prevent, salt migration and the resulting softening of the cheese.
Reducing the sodium content in blue cheese has been a focus of research due to public health concerns. High sodium intake has been linked to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Strategies such as direct reduction of added NaCl, sprinkling, and partial substitution with calcium lactate have been explored. However, reducing salt content in blue cheese is challenging due to its essential role in the ripening process and sensory characteristics.
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Blue cheese and dessert wine
Blue cheese is a semi-soft, creamy, and pungent cheese known for its blue-green veins. The blue veins are created by piercing the cheese with metallic spikes to allow air to permeate and speed up the development of mould. The mould used is a strain of Penicillium roqueforti, which is added to the cheese curds before the cheese is formed. Salt is added to the cheese to provide flavour and act as a preservative.
When it comes to dessert wine, the classic pairing with blue cheese is a dessert or fortified wine. The veining in blue cheese has a touch of bitterness that can be deliciously offset by a dessert wine. The most famous of these pairings is the combination of Roquefort with Sauternes from Bordeaux, one of the greatest Botrytised dessert wines in the world. The unctuous sweetness of Sauternes will contrast with the sharp, salty tang of the cheese without being overwhelmed by it.
Other dessert wine pairings include Roquefort with Tokaji from Hungary or Trockenbeerenauslese from Germany or Austria. A blue cheese and fresh fig salad can be paired with a smooth Italian white wine like a Gavi di Gavi. A Jurancon Sec is also suggested as a pairing with Roquefort, pear and endive salad.
If you are looking for a red wine to pair with blue cheese, medium-bodied reds can be tricky with more pungent blue cheeses. However, they can complement more mellow blue cheeses such as Bleu d’Auvergne or Barkham Blue. Try a southern Italian red like a Negroamaro or Nero d’Avola, or a Zinfandel.
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Blue cheese production
Blue cheese is a generic term for cheese produced with cow's, sheep's, or goat's milk and ripened with cultures of the mould Penicillium. The mould itself is from one or more strains from the genus Penicillium. The cheesemaking process varies, but the distinct blue veins of the cheese are created by piercing the cheese with rods or needles to let oxygen circulate and encourage the growth of mould. Salt is added to the cheese to prevent spoilage and to add flavour.
The first phase of blue cheese production involves preparing a Penicillium roqueforti inoculum. This is done by washing the Penicillium roqueforti from a pure culture agar plate, freezing it, and then freeze-drying it. Salt, sugar, or both are then added to autoclaved, homogenised milk via a sterile solution. This mixture is then inoculated with Penicillium roqueforti. This solution is incubated for three to four days at 21–25 °C (70–77 °F), and more salt and/or sugar is added. Alternatively, sterilised, homogenised milk and reconstituted non-fat solids or whey solids are mixed with sterile salt to create a fermentation medium, to which a spore-rich Penicillium roqueforti culture is added.
Next, modified milk fat is added, which consists of milk fat with calf pre-gastric esterase. This solution is prepared in advance by an enzyme hydrolysis of a milk fat emulsion. The addition of modified milk fat stimulates a progressive release of free fatty acids via lipase action, which is essential for rapid flavour development in blue cheese.
Once the inoculum is prepared, it is added to the cheese curds. Raw milk (from cattle, goats, or sheep) is mixed and pasteurised at 72 °C (162 °F) for 15 seconds. After the curds have been ladled into containers to be drained, the Penicillium roqueforti inoculum is sprinkled on top of the curds along with Brevibacterium linens. The curd granules are then knit in moulds to form cheese loaves with a relatively open texture. Whey drainage continues for 10–48 hours, with no pressure applied, and the moulds are inverted frequently to promote this process.
Salt is then added to the cheese to provide flavour and act as a preservative. This process, known as brine salting or dry salting, lasts for 24–48 hours. Finally, the cheese is ripened by ageing for 60–90 days. During the early ageing stage, the cheese is "spiked" with stainless steel rods to let oxygen circulate and encourage the growth of mould, softening the texture and developing the cheese's distinctive blue flavour.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, blue cheese is quite a salty cheese. Salt is added to blue cheese to act as a preservative and to prevent spoilage.
Blue cheese is a fermented food, and salt is added to it to prevent unwanted bacteria from growing as it ages.
Yes, aged blue cheeses tend to be saltier than other blue cheeses. Additionally, some types of blue cheese, such as Stilton, are known to be saltier than others, such as Bleu des Basques.
Blue cheese is often paired with sweet foods such as dried fruit, honey, or dessert wine to balance out the salty flavour.
