Soft cheese

Soft cheeses contain more than 67% moisture in the fat-free dry matter and are produced using the principle of sweet-milk coagulation. Because of their high moisture content, soft cheeses do not ripen evenly throughout the curd as hard or semi-hard varieties do; instead, ripening progresses from the outside in. The process is strongly influenced by storage temperature: the higher the temperature, the faster the cheese matures. As it ripens, soft cheeses develop their smooth, creamy texture—though a firm core often remains, which eventually disappears completely once the optimum degree of maturity is reached.