Maturation

With the exception of cream cheese, a maturation period lasting days, weeks, months or even years is essential for the cheese’s characteristic flavour to develop – the duration of this process varies from one type of cheese to another. For certain standard cheeses, the maturation period is even stipulated by law. ‘Maturation’ is the umbrella term for the biochemical transformation processes involving the milk constituents retained in the cheese, such as protein, residual sugar (lactose) and fat. During maturation, the remaining milk sugar is also completely converted into lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria.
The carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced, among other things, by the ripening cultures cannot escape from the cheese curd and rind, thus causing the formation of cavities – the (fermentation) holes in the cheese. This so-called fermentation-induced perforation (e.g. in mountain cheese) is to be distinguished from slit/curd perforation (e.g. in Tilsiter) – which is caused by filling the moulds with curd without whey.
To produce large-eyed cheeses such as Rösslerhof Emmentaler, specific bacteria (propionic acid bacteria) are added to the milk; during the first few weeks of ripening, at temperatures of 68 to 75 °F, these bacteria create the classic eyes.

Natural-rind
maturation takes place in special rooms where a controlled high level of humidity of approximately 85 to 95 percent and temperatures between 8 and 24 degrees Celsius—depending on the type of cheese being produced—are maintained.
The maturing process varies depending on the type of cheese. All sour-milk cheeses and soft cheeses mature from the outside in – that is to say, the younger these cheeses are, the more pronounced the white centre is, which only disappears as the cheese matures. Semi-hard cheeses such as hard cheese, on the other hand, mature evenly throughout the entire curd mass. During this period, the wheels are frequently turned, coated, brushed, and/or rolled in special herbal mixtures. This regular and careful treatment of the cheese is carried out using salt water, which draws moisture from the outer layers and consequently results in the formation of a hard, dry rind.

Red-mould
cheesesRed-mould or “Rotschmiere” cheeses (e.g. Allgäuer Bergkäse g.U., Sechsender, Alpenländer Raclette) are “smeared”—i.e. rubbed or brushed—during maturation with salt water enriched with red-culture bacteria (Brevibacterium linens). This process creates a protective smear rind that shields the cheese from foreign bacteria while delivering its signature robust flavour and distinctive orange-red-brown hue.

Cheeses with noble moulds
In the case of white or blue-veined cheeses such as Camembert, Edler Weisser (Rahmbrie) or Roquefort Coulet AOP, special noble mould cultures such as Penicillium caseicolum and/or Penicillium camemberti and/or Penicillium candidum (for white-mould cheeses) or Penicillium roqueforti (for blue-mould cheeses) are added to the milk before coagulation. During maturation, these cultures release their distinctive flavour compounds and develop their characteristic appearance. In the case of Camembert or Brie, the white mould grows on the surface and imparts its flavour to the curd. It is also often sprayed onto the moulded cheeses.
To encourage the development of blue mould (P. roqueforti) in Gorgonzola and Roquefort, the cheese is pricked with needles, as this noble mould can only grow in the presence of oxygen. The developing blue mould, whose colour ranges from blue through blue-green to dark green, grows along the resulting ‘puncture channels’.

Plastic-wrap ripening
The regular care of the cheese – which is absolutely essential to protect against unwanted bacteria – involves a relatively high time commitment and is therefore costly Furthermore, many mild semi-hard cheeses are difficult to produce with the desired flavour profile using the classic red-mould natural-rind maturation method. One advantage of film-wrapped ripening (where, in contrast to the natural-rind ripening described above, the cheese matures inside a special film designed to allow the ripening gases to escape, This controlled environment also results in significantly less weight loss per wheel or piece compared with traditional methods. In conventional cheese production, the surface is often treated with natamycin (E 235), an antibiotic agent not permitted under the EU Organic Regulation, to suppress unwanted mould growth at a low cost. (Studies show that natamycin can trigger hypersensitivity reactions and promote antibiotic resistance in the human body).
By sealing the cheese off from ambient oxygen and omitting the salt treatment, the cheese matures without forming a rind. Film-wrapped maturation is now a relatively common method for soft cheeses such as Edam or Gouda – but hard cheeses such as hard cheese, Cheddar or Emmentaler can also be matured in this way with very good flavour results. Film wrapping also offers an effective way to protect the cheese from contamination during ripening and transport without relying on additives.
When films are used at the cheese dairies of the Allgäu Organic Dairies, they are made of polyethylene, are free from phthalates (plasticisers) and are designed to allow the cheese to ‘breathe’ during maturation – i.e. the carbon dioxide produced by the ripening cultures can escape.
For the majority of our range, however, our cheese dairies continue to use natural-rind ripening, because in the specialty sector the labour-intensive care involved has a significant impact on flavour and quality that no technological process can replace.