Shades of Sheese: Exploring Colorful Varieties
Bethany Thompson
– Aug 5, 2024 2:30 pm UTC
View Larger Image / The University of Nottingham’s groundbreaking study on producing various hues of blue cheese.
Blue cheese enthusiasts appreciate the wide range of blue cheese options available, distinguished by the characteristic blue-green streaks running through the cheese. Each type of blue cheese boasts its unique flavor profile, from mild to intense, sweet to salty. A recent publication in the Science of Food journal hints at a future where blue cheeses may differ not only in taste but also in appearance, potentially showcasing veins of yellow-green, reddish-brown-pink, or alternative hues of blue.
“For more than a decade, our team has been fascinated by cheese fungi. Typically, traditional methods of creating mold-ripened cheeses result in blue cheeses like Stilton, Roquefort, and Gorgonzola, using fixed strains of blue-green fungi,” shared co-author Paul Dyer of the University of Nottingham in reference to the cutting-edge study. “Our goal was to explore the development of new strains with distinct flavors and visual appearances.”
The origins of blue cheese date back centuries. Legend holds that a boy accidentally left his bread and sheep’s milk cheese in a cave while attempting to court a young lady he had glimpsed from afar. Months later, he discovered that the cheese had transformed into Roquefort. While this tale is fanciful, scholars suggest that people historically preserved cheeses in caves due to the ideal temperature and moisture conditions for cultivating benign molds. This belief is reinforced by a 2021 study analyzing ancient fecal matter that indicates Iron Age salt miners in Hallstatt (Austria) between 800 and 400 BCE consumed blue cheese and beer.
View Larger Image / Array of colored cheeses.
The production process for blue cheese closely mirrors that of other cheese varieties, with added essential steps. It involves cultivating Penicillium roqueforti, a mold that thrives in oxygen-rich environments. The cheese is inoculated with P. roqueforti, either before curds form or incorporated within curds post-formation. Subsequently, the cheese undergoes aging in a controlled climate. Initial fermentation is initiated by lactic acid bacteria, which wane over time, allowing the P. roqueforti to become the primary fermenting agent. By piercing the curds, air tunnels are created within the cheese, enabling the mold to grow along these pathways and create the characteristic blue veining.
Following the publication of P. roqueforti‘s complete genome, new research avenues have opened, offering scientists insights into studying this fungus found in blue cheese. Different strains may exhibit unique colony appearances and textures, as per the advancements by Dyer et al. These discoveries pave the way for exciting possibilities in the exploration of blue cheese and its diverse hues.