Wiki: White Mould Defects, Ripening

Camembert At 34 Days, Cut At 10C 50F, Body Excessively Liquid - CheeseForum.org
Semi-Lactic At 18 Days, Sticking To Mat - CheeseForum.org
Semi-Lactic At 18 Days, Sticking To Mat – CheeseForum.org

This Wiki article addresses ripening phase defects special to “White Mould” type cheeses such as Brie & Camembert which are generally made by adding Penicillium candidum. In addition to all the normal Coagulation, Surface, Aroma, Body, and Flavour defects, white mold cheeses also have their own special set of problems. This article is divided into the following sections:

Ripening – Curds Sticking To Mats

Description

  • Cheese sticks to mat when trying to lift cheese off of for turning and possible tears off rind when trying to remove cheese.

Causes & Remedies

  • Excessive mold growth has glued cheese to mat, no immediate solution, in future pat down mold more often, turn cheeses more frequently, change to coarser weave mat.
  • Poor circulation below mat has resulted in mositure buildup and yeast growth gluing cheese to mat, no solution except to cut off infected part of cheese, in future enable proper drainage a/d air circulation below cheese.

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Ripening – Aroma Ammonia

Camembert At 34 Days, Cut At 10C 50F, Body Excessively Liquid - CheeseForum.org
Camembert At 34 Days, Cut At 10C 50F, Body Excessively Liquid – CheeseForum.org

Description

  • Ammonia smell in young cheese.

Causes & Remedies

  • Cheese is past “A Point” and is overripe before correct age, causes are ripening/aging temperature is too high, reduce to slow down ripening schedule, or moisture content of cheese is too high, stir curds slightly longer to expel slightly more whey before ladling into hoops.
  • Excessive growth of Penicllium candidum from either excessive amount of Penicillium candidum used or cheese not wrapped as soon as white mould had completely covered the cheese.

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Ripening – Body Liquid

Description

  • Body of cheese is too liquid or runny.

Causes & Remedies

  • Excessive moisture in the cheese, stir curds slightly longer to expel slightly more whey before ladling into hoops.
  • Normal in very overripe white mould cheeses.

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Ripening – Body Firm

Semi-Lactic At 22 Days, Paste Too Firm - CheeseForum.org
Semi-Lactic At 22 Days, Paste Too Firm – CheeseForum.org

Description

  • Body of cheese is too firm and does not soften when aging from action of Penicillum candidum mold on body of cheese.

Causes & Remedies

  • Moisture content is too low, reduce amount and/or time of stirring before ladling into hoops. If still to dry, handle curd more gently during ladling.
  • Aging time is insufficient.
  • Penicillium candidum mould inactive.

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Ripening – Flavour Bitter

Description

  • Cheese when mature tastes bitter. Common bitter tasting foods or drinks are coffee, unsweetened chocolate, citrus peel, or quinine in tonic water.
  • Excessive bitterness is usually from over ripening and is considered a flaw in white boomy cheeses.

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Wiki: White Mould Defects, Blooming

Semi Lactic At 12 Days Uneven Mold Bloom - CheeseForum.org

This Wiki article addresses blooming phase defects special to “White Mould” type cheeses such as Brie & Camembert which are generally made by adding Penicillium candidum. In addition to all the normal Coagulation, Surface, Aroma, Body, and Flavour defects, white mold cheeses also have their own special set of problems. This article is divided into the following sections:

Blooming – Slow Bloom

Description

  • White mould does not completely cover cheese in normal 12-14 days after making.

Causes & Remedies

  • Ripening/aging humidity is too low, retarding bloom of white mould.
  • Ripening/aging temperature of cheese is too low, retarding bloom of white mould.
  • If dry salting formed cheese, excessive salting retarding or halting bloom of white mould.
  • If inoculating milk with Penicillium candidum, temperature of milk was too low, retarding bloom of white mould.

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Blooming – No Or Non-Uniform Bloom

Semi Lactic At 12 Days Uneven Mold Bloom - CheeseForum.org
Semi Lactic At 12 Days Uneven Mold Bloom - CheeseForum.org

Description

  • No or non-uniform/uneven bloom of white mould on whole surface of cheese.

Causes & Remedies

  • If on bottom, bottom of cheese is in draining whey, mould will not bloom if it has it’s “feet in water”, keep drained whey away from bottom of cheese and turn more often.
  • Uneven, too much or too little salting of surface of cheese, retarding or halting bloom of white mold in certain areas or of whole cheese.
  • If applying Penicillium candidum to surface of cheese (vs to milk), uneven application.
  • Competing pathogen.
  • Antibiotics in the milk.
  • Wrong acidity.

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Blooming – Thick Bloom

Semi-Lactic At 20 Days, Excessive Bloom - CheeseForum.org
Semi-Lactic At 20 Days, Excessive Bloom - CheeseForum.org

Description

  • Thick layer of white mould on surface of cheese. If left uncontrolled will result in “slip skin” or “toad skin” where it will slip off the body of the cheese.

Causes & Remedies

  • Excessive mould development from either excessive amount of Penicillium candidum used or cheese not wrapped as soon as white mould had completely covered the cheese.

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Wiki: White Mould Defects, Forming

Camembert Slumping 3 Hours After Removing Hoops & Salting Top - CheeseForum.org

Camembert Second Turn, Curds Still Sticking But Peeling Off Mat - CheeseForum.org
Camembert Second Turn, Curds Still Sticking But Peeling Off Mat - CheeseForum.org

This Wiki article addresses forming phase defects special to “White Mould” type cheeses such as Brie & Camembert which are generally made by adding Penicillium candidum. In addition to all the normal Coagulation, Surface, Aroma, Body, and Flavour defects, white mold cheeses also have their own special set of problems. This article is divided into the following sections:

Forming – Curds Sticking To Mats

Description

  • During forming stage, curds stick to mat when trying to lift cheese in hoop off of mat for turning.

Causes & Remedies

  • Turning cheese too early before curd dehydrates and knits to form a skin.
  • Use thin blade knife to separate – peel curds off of mats, on subsequent turn curds will knit and torn area will not show.
  • Switch to slightly courser weave mats.

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Forming – Curds Slouching

Camemberts Excessive Slumping As Cheeses too Moist When Removed Hoop - CheeseForum.org
Camemberts Excessive Slumping As Cheeses too Moist When Removed Hoop - CheeseForum.org

Description

  • After lifting hoops up and off cheeses, the newly formed cheese slouches/sags becoming barreled at bottom.

Causes & Remedies

  • Cause is cheese was still too moist/not sufficiently drained of whey when removed hoop support. If quick can fit the hoop back over the cheese and drain for an extra 1/2-1 day at room temperature, otherwise have to live with problem and with further turning barrel shape will even out between to middle.

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Camembert Slumping 3 Hours After Removing Hoops & Salting Top - CheeseForum.org
Camembert Slumping 3 Hours After Removing Hoops & Salting Top - CheeseForum.org

Wiki: Hoops & Molds

Home Made 4 in, 103 mm Drilled PVC Hoop, Wooden Follower With Cheesecloth Wrap, & Improvised Weights - CheeseForum.org

Small (Saint Marcellin etc) Cylindrical Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 82d mm - CheeseForum.org
Small (Saint Marcellin etc) Cylindrical Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 82d mm - CheeseForum.org
This Wiki Article discusses various hoops and molds used in cheese making. Hoops and molds have several uses in cheese making, depending on cheese type. They can be used to drain whey in, either by gravity or by additionally applying weight, to form the cheese’s initial shape, to hold the curds while knitting in pressed cheeses, and to hold a cheese’s shape during aging also called ripening. This article is divided into the following sections:

Description

Generally hoops have open tops and bottoms and molds are basket shaped. Hoops are often cyclindrical shaped but can be square or rectangular, they often have followers, (circles, squares, or rectangles) placed on top of the curds upon which weight can be applied to lightly or heavily press the curds into their preferred shape. Normally hoops are placed on some sort of drainage material through which the whey can drain from the bottom of the cheese. Molds are similar to hoops except they have bottoms. Molds are historically used for gravity draining whey from cheese but with the advent of strong modern food grade materials they are now also often commonly used for pressing cheeses in. Because of modern materials, hoops are generally less popular as strong baskets can now be made with bottoms that will not shear out when being used for pressed cheeses. However hoops are still used for cheeses that are turned during gravity whey drainage such as Brie & Camembert.
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Medium (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 450w x 325d inch, 114w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org
Medium (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 450w x 325d inch, 114w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org

Whey Drainage

The primary use of hoops and molds is to drain whey from the curds. To do this they need the correct shape and number of round holes or slots to drain the right amount of whey in the right amount of time for the type of cheese being made. Additionally, hoops and molds for pressed cheeses are often lined with a light thin cheesecloth or mesh material to aid whey drainage from the top and sides of the cheese to the whey escape routes normally out the bottom of the hoop or mold.
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Materials

The material used to make hoops and baskets used in cheese making needs to be food hygenic and if reused, easily cleanable. Historically materials used were woven straw, dried reeds, or woven wood for baskets and strips of wood for hoops. While these materials are still used. most modern manufactured hoops and baskets are made from food grade polypropylene or stainless steel.
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Strength

The strength of hoops and baskets used in cheese making is dependant on the forces the curds or cheese will be under while in the hoop or basket. These can range from minimal for very small gravity drained cheeses to low for large gravity drained cheese or lightly pressed cheeses to medium for large wheels with medium pressing weights to high for highly pressed cheeses such as cheddars.
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Examples

Large (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 625w x 325d inch, 159w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org
Large (Ricotta etc) Tapered Gravity Draining Baskets, 625w x 325d inch, 159w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org

Examples of hoops:

  • Light weight thus poor strength with medium density of commonly round whey drainage holes. These are commonly plastic and used for unpressed or very lightly pressed cheeses while forming their shape such as Bries and Camemberts.
  • Medium strength with low density holes. These are commonly plastic and used for medium pressed cheeses while forming their shape such as rennet coagulated washed curd type cheeses Edam and Gouda.
  • Strong strength with low density or no holes. These are commonly stainless steel and used for very highly pressed cheeses such as cheddars.

Examples of baskets:

  • Very light strength with multiple holes or slots. These are commonly plastic with poor strength for pressing and are commonly used for gravity draining whey from curds when making soft cheeses. Some examples are lactic acid coagulated type cheeses such as Cream Cheese, Chevre, or lactic acid surface white mold ripened type cheeses such as Chaource & Saint-Marcellin, or secondary coagulated (usually recooked) type cheeses such as Ricotta.
  • Medium strength with medium number of holes or slots. These are commonly thicker plastic with medium strength for medium pressing. They are commonly used for medium pressed rennet coagulated cheeses. Some examples are rennet coagulated type cheeses Caprino & Manchego, and rennet coagulated washed curd type cheeses such as Edam, Gouda, and Colby.
  • High strength with medium number of holes or slots. These are commonly stainless steel with high strength for high pressing. They are commonly used for high pressed rennet coagulated cheddared (normally stacked and milled curds) type cheeses such as Cheddar, Derby, Red Leicester, Wensleydale, Cantal, and Monterey Jack.

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Availability

Small (Valencay etc) Pyramid Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org
Small (Valencay etc) Pyramid Gravity Draining Baskets, 350w x 325d inch, 90w x 83d mm - CheeseForum.org

Many novice cheese makers start by improvising for their hoops and baskets, some examples are:

  • Small fruit baskets from grocery stores such as blueberry or strawberry baskets or small food grade plastic containers such as yogurt containers with holes drilled in.
  • Food grade normally white coloured PVC 4″ or 6″ diameter pipe from large hardware store with or without holes drilled in and round follower cut from polyethelene cutting board for pressing cheeses in. While this material is frequently used in house construction for cold and hot water supply, it is not recommended for use in cheese making due to the effects of low pH/highly acid cheese.
  • Given the non-ideal examples above, many hobby cheese makers upgrade to purpose built manufactured hoops and molds. These are generally purchased from Cheese Making stores. Our international listing of supply stores is here.

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Small (Camembert etc) Gravity Draining Hoops, 425w x 425d inch, 108w x 108d mm - CheeseForum.org
Small (Camembert etc) Gravity Draining Hoops, 425w x 425d inch, 108w x 108d mm - CheeseForum.org
Two Kadova Brand 1.5-2 kg Gouda Shape Pressing Molds - CheeseForum.org
Two Kadova Brand 1.5-2 kg Gouda Shape Pressing Molds - CheeseForum.org
Home Made 4 in, 103 mm Drilled PVC Hoop, Wooden Follower With Cheesecloth Wrap, & Improvised Weights - CheeseForum.org
Home Made 4 in, 103 mm Drilled PVC Hoop, Wooden Follower With Cheesecloth Wrap, & Improvised Weights - CheeseForum.org

Wiki: Surface Defects, Mold

Two 4 pound Gouda's with Canola oiled rinds, one with blue surface mold, second after brush and water cleaning.

Surface mold defects of cheese are normally cheese type dependent. Molds are common micro-organisms and some are intentionally used in cheese making for their effect on texture and flavour such as white for Camembert and blue for Blue cheeses. This wiki article is not for those but for molds on the surface of cheeses which result in unwanted textures or flavours, their common colour, causes and solutions. 

Blue-Green

Two 4 pound Gouda's with Canola oiled rinds, one with blue surface mold, second after brush and water cleaning.
Two 4 pound Gouda's with Canola oiled rinds, one with blue surface mold, second after brush and water cleaning.

Description

  • Blue to green colour on surface of cheese.

Causes

  • Contamination by airborne Penicillium rocqueforti mould commonly intentionally used in making blue type cheeses due to high humidity. Not dangerous, but visually unappealing when unwanted.

Solutions

  • Wipe or brush off of cheese and rub rind with mixture of vinegar and dry salt. Lower aging humidity and ensure that area is clean and cannot harbor mould.

Black

Description

  • Black colour on surface of cheese.

Causes

  • Contamination by airborne Mucor or pin mould due to high humidity. Not dangerous, but visually unappealing.

Solutions

  • Wipe or brush off of cheese and rub rind with mixture of vinegar and dry salt. Lower aging humidity and ensure that area is clean and cannot harbor mould.

Brown

4 pound Havarti with good white Geotrichum candidum mold and unwanted brown mold on rind.
4 pound Havarti with good white Geotrichum candidum mold and unwanted brown mold on rind.

Description

  • Brown colour on surface of cheese.

Causes

  • Contamination by airborne mould due to high humidity. Not dangerous, but visually unappealing.

Solutions

  • Wipe or brush off of cheese and rub rind with mixture of vinegar and dry salt. Lower aging humidity and ensure that area is clean and cannot harbor mould.

Pink

Description

  • Pink colour on surface of cheese.

Causes

  • More common in Penicillium candidum (white mould) cheese when aging area’s humidity is too high, reduce humidity.

White

2 kg Havarti with good white Geotrichum candidum surface mold.
2 kg Havarti with good white Geotrichum candidum surface mold.

Description

  1. White coloured powdery mold on surface of cheese. Smells earthy like sweet smelling root cellar with faint hints of fermentation.
  2. White fuzzy mold like on Camembert & Brie.

Causes

  1. Normally from Geotrichum candidum and actually a good protective mold but included in this article for completness.
  2. Normally from Penicllium candidum and normally only wanted on white bloomy type rinds such as Camemberts and Bries.

Solutions

  1. None, do not remove as good mold.
  2. Wipe or brush off of cheese and rub rind with mixture of vinegar and dry salt. Lower aging humidity and ensure that area is clean and cannot harbor mould.