Frederic Melton
Blue cheese is made with the addition of edible mould cultures, which create blue-green spots or veins through the cheese. The mould used is a fungus called Penicillium roqueforti, which gives the cheese its distinctive colour, flavour, and aroma. It is added early in the cheesemaking process and produces between 100 and 200 volatile compounds, including pungent-tasting chemicals known as methyl ketones. P. roqueforti is also used to produce compounds that can be employed as antibiotics, flavours, and fragrances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Penicillium roqueforti |
| Common name | Blue-cheese fungus |
| Genus | Penicillium |
| Type | Mold |
| Species | Heterogeneous |
| Colour | Blue-green |
| Texture | Velvety to fasciculate |
| Size | 3 to 4.5 μm diameter |
| Shape | Spherical and smooth |
| Colony colour | Light to dark greenish-grey, including grey, yellowish, and olive-green shades |
| Industrial uses | Production of blue cheese, flavouring agents, antifungals, polysaccharides, proteases, and other enzymes |
| Food uses | Used in the production of Roquefort, Stilton, Danish blue, Cabrales, Gorgonzola, and other blue cheeses |
| Safety | Does not produce harmful substances and is safe for human intake |
| Health benefits | Secondary metabolites may have potential value in cancer treatment |
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What You'll Learn
- Penicillium roqueforti is the fungus used to make blue cheese
- It is added early in the cheesemaking process
- It produces blue-green spores that give blue cheese its typical appearance
- It also produces between 100 to 200 volatile compounds, contributing to the pungent flavour
- It is safe for human consumption
Penicillium roqueforti is the fungus used to make blue cheese
Blue cheese is made by adding edible mould cultures that create blue-green spots or veins through the cheese. The fungus Penicillium roqueforti is commonly used in the production of blue cheese. It is added early in the cheese-making process and, during ripening, metal spikes are introduced to create small air-filled passages in the cheese, allowing the fungus to grow and produce the blue-green spores that give blue cheese its typical appearance. Penicillium roqueforti is also responsible for the distinctive flavour and aroma of blue cheese.
Penicillium roqueforti is a saprotrophic fungus in the genus Penicillium. It can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants. It was first described by American mycologist Charles Thom in 1906, who used a strain isolated from a Roquefort cheese purchased in a market in the United States. It is characterised by having large globose conidia and rough-walled conidiophore stipes, the ability to grow at elevated carbon dioxide levels, and the ability to produce the mycotoxin Roquefortine C.
Penicillium roqueforti is added to cheese as a starter culture. As it grows, it produces volatile and non-volatile flavour components and changes the texture of the cheese. It also produces between 100 and 200 volatile compounds, particularly methyl ketones, which give blue cheese its pungent flavour.
Penicillium roqueforti is used to make several varieties of blue cheese, including French Bleu and Roquefort, Italian Gorgonzola, English Stilton, Spanish Cabrales, and many others. It is also used to make flavouring agents, antifungals, polysaccharides, proteases, and other enzymes.
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It is added early in the cheesemaking process
Blue cheese is made with the addition of cultures of edible molds, which create blue-green spots or veins throughout the cheese. The mold used is a fungus called Penicillium roqueforti, which gives the cheese its distinctive colour, flavour, and aroma.
Penicillium roqueforti is added early in the cheesemaking process. During the aging process, which lasts 2 to 3 months, metal spikes are introduced to create small air-filled passages in the cheese. The fungus grows along these passages and produces the blue-green spores that give blue cheese its typical appearance. As it multiplies, P. roqueforti also produces between 100 and 200 volatile compounds, particularly methyl ketones, which give the cheese its pungent flavour.
P. roqueforti is a common saprotrophic fungus in the genus Penicillium. It can be found in soil, decaying organic matter, and plants. The fungus was first described by American mycologist Charles Thom in 1906, who isolated it from a Roquefort cheese purchased in a market in the United States.
P. roqueforti is added to the cheese as a starter culture. It is well known for its use in the production of interior mould-ripened cheeses. The growth of the fungus leads to the production of volatile and non-volatile flavour components and changes in cheese texture.
The colour of blue cheese is created by a series of chemical reactions encoded in six genes in the fungus. By disrupting these genes, researchers have been able to create blue cheeses that are reddish, greenish, or white while retaining the same flavour.
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It produces blue-green spores that give blue cheese its typical appearance
Blue cheese is made with the addition of cultures of edible moulds, which create blue-green spots or veins through the cheese. The mould fungus Penicillium roqueforti is added early in the cheesemaking process. During the 2 to 3 months that the cheese "ages", P. roqueforti multiplies and produces between 100 and 200 volatile compounds, particularly methyl ketones, which give the cheese its typical pungent flavour. P. roqueforti also produces the characteristic texture and aroma of blue-veined cheeses.
P. roqueforti is a common saprotrophic fungus in the genus Penicillium. It was first described by American mycologist Charles Thom in 1906 as heterogeneous species of blue-green, sporulating fungi. It can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants. The major industrial uses of this fungus are the production of blue cheeses, flavouring agents, antifungals, polysaccharides, proteases, and other enzymes.
P. roqueforti is added to the cheese early in the cheesemaking process. During the ripening process, metal spikes are introduced to create small air-filled passages in the cheese, along which the fungus can grow and produce the blue-green spores. The blue-green colour derives from pigmented spores formed by fungal growth. Using a combination of bioinformatics, targeted gene deletions, and heterologous gene expression, researchers discovered that pigment formation was due to a DHN-melanin biosynthesis pathway.
Recent research has shown significant differences in metabolite production between P. roqueforti populations. The cheese-making populations, particularly the non-Roquefort strains, produce fewer metabolites compared to non-cheese populations found in lumber and silage.
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It also produces between 100 to 200 volatile compounds, contributing to the pungent flavour
Blue cheese is any cheese made with the addition of cultures of edible moulds, which create blue-green spots or veins throughout the cheese. The mould responsible for the distinctive colour and flavour of blue cheese is called Penicillium roqueforti, a common saprotrophic fungus in the genus Penicillium. First described by American mycologist Charles Thom in 1906, P. roqueforti was initially described as a heterogeneous species of blue-green, sporulating fungi.
During the 2 to 3 months that the cheese "ages", P. roqueforti produces between 100 and 200 volatile compounds, contributing to the pungent flavour. These volatile compounds include chemicals known as methyl ketones. The fungus also produces non-volatile flavour components, and changes the texture of the cheese.
P. roqueforti is added early in the cheesemaking process. As the cheese ages, metal spikes are introduced to create small air-filled passages in the cheese, along which the fungus can grow and produce the blue-green spores that give the cheese its typical appearance.
P. roqueforti is also used to produce compounds that can be employed as antibiotics, fragrances, antifungals, polysaccharides, proteases, and other enzymes.
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It is safe for human consumption
Blue cheese is made with mould. The fungus used in blue cheese is called Penicillium roqueforti, which is a type of mould in the Penicillium genus. It is responsible for the distinct taste, smell, and appearance of blue cheese.
While mould is often a sign of food spoilage, not all moulds are harmful. The mould on blue cheese is from the same family of spores used to make penicillin. Unlike other moulds, Penicillium roqueforti does not produce toxins and is safe for human consumption. It is important to note that blue cheese can still go bad, so it should be stored properly in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, where it can last 3-4 weeks.
Research has shown that many factors influence the growth of harmful moulds, including local weather, contamination by pests, and inadequate cleanliness during harvesting or storage. These harmful moulds typically grow on food that has not been used for many days.
In addition to its safe consumption, Penicillium roqueforti may offer potential health benefits. For example, secondary metabolites of P. roqueforti, called andrastins A–D, are found in blue cheese and have been shown to inhibit proteins involved in the efflux of anticancer drugs from multidrug-resistant cancer cells, indicating a possible value in cancer treatment.
The process of making blue cheese involves adding Penicillium spores to the cheese curds, which are then aged in temperature-controlled environments to encourage the growth of the fungus and the development of its characteristic blue veins.
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Frequently asked questions
The fungus used in blue cheese is called Penicillium roqueforti.
Penicillium roqueforti gives blue cheese its distinctive colour, flavour, and aroma.
During the 2 to 3 months that the cheese "ages", Penicillium roqueforti produces blue-green spores that give the cheese its typical appearance.
Yes, blue cheese is safe to eat. While some types of mould produce harmful chemicals called mycotoxins, the mould used in blue cheese does not produce any harmful substances.
