Author Topic: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?  (Read 4749 times)

Stinky

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Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« on: April 29, 2015, 07:33:33 PM »
If I only want one strain of geo and PC, which strain should that be? Right now I'm looking at Artisan Geek. We have

Penicillum candidum

PC-ABL

PC-ABL is a traditional strain of Penicillium Candidum. Great for thin rinds in Brie and Camemberts, as well as the very thin rinds required for Loire style goat cheeses such as Crottin, Valençay and Sainte Maure, or Northern Italian styles such as bloomy Robiolas.

Medium whiteness
Thin - low with medium-low density
Very low proteolysis
Medium-high lipolysis
Fast-growing

PC-HP6
PC-HP6 is a specialty strain of Penicillium Candidum. It is traditional in many ways, featuring bright white appearance, moderately rapid growth, and medium-low thickness (height/density). It has high proteolysis and medium-low lipolysis. Its specialty is its great ability to grow together with P.Roqueforti, making it ideal for mixed-mold cheese such as Cambozola, Montbriac or Blue Brie. It works especially well with Danisco Choozit PS for that purpose, but can work with other blues. It can also be used on its own (or mixed with other PC strains) for any traditional bloomy cheese that requires Penicillium Candidum.

PC-Neige
[No information)

PC-SAM3
This strain of Penicillium Candidum is known for its anti-mucor capabilities. Use it with bloomy rinds that seem to get contaminated by unwanted molds. Alternatively, you may mix it with other strains of PC to increase the biodiversity of your rind and reduce the chances of contamination and competition. SAM3 features strong proteolytic and lipolytic properties, medium density and height, with low aromatic profile, so it can be used instead of or in conjunction with traditional strains.

PC-VB
PC-VB is a traditional strain of Penicillium Candidum. It has solid proteolytic activity but low lipolytic activity, making it well-suited for situations where gooey texture is desired without an overwhelming flavor, or when dealing with high fat content such as with Double/Triple crème styles. It will also work very well blended with other strains of P.Candidum. It features medium growth height and medium mold density and medium aroma, positioning it as an all-around great all-purpose strain.

Of those, I'd incline towards the first or last. Perhaps something in between would be my idea of niceness. Not a super thin rind, but with a bit less proteolytic activity than the VB? Like, not super strong but just nice when it starts getting soft?

And then there's geo. I mostly need this for the purpose of bloomies.

Geo 13

Geo 13 is a classic strain of Geotrichum Candidum, perfect for lactic goat and cow milk cheeses as well as Camembert and Brie. It grows slowly and develops good texture with medium flavor. Its texture is somewhere between the moldy look of Geo 17 and the yeasty look of Geo 15.

Geo 15

Geo 15 is a yeasty strain of Geotrichum Candidum. It is great for cheeses that require a smooth surface, or pre-yeasting cycle; perfect for washed and mixed rind cheeses like Reblochon or for wild, smeared, or brushed rind Tommes. It will also work well in bloomy and lactic cheeses. When comparing with Geo 13 and 17, the Geo 15 strain features a creamier color, it is less proteolytic, and has a slightly lower optimum growth temperature. It does not develop the "brainy"/"wormy" texture of some other Geo strains.  Geo 15 will typically start off as a slimy covering but after it has been covered with other moulds it may grow through them as a dry loose top layer dusting (less mycelium, more arthrospores).

Geo 17

Geo 17 is a mold-like strain of Geotrichum Candidum. Works very well in combination with Penicillium Candidum; great for traditional lactic and bloomy cheeses. It is ideal for the creation of "brainy"/"wormy" looking rustic rinds. It has more texture than Geo 13 and Geo 15 yet has similar flavor strength. It has a similar white color, proteolytic activity, and optimal temperature to Geo 13 but it grows at a faster speed, more like the Geo 15.


What, in your experience, works best?

Stinky

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2015, 03:13:12 PM »
Unless anyone else has anything to say, I'll go VB and 13.

Kern

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2015, 03:39:33 PM »
Ok, Stinky, I'll only say this:  So many combinations, so little time.   ;D  Seriously, I got some VB & 13 from AG and it seems to work quite well.  The first little wheel should be ripe within a week so maybe it will taste like that place a little rearward of the udder and higher up on the cow, maybe not.  But, everything seemed to go as it should.  I followed Caldwell's recipe with a touch of Malabert added simply because I love Aussies.  ;)

jmason

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2015, 10:54:35 PM »
This is kind of a question I also have.  Yeav on Artisan geek speaks highly of ARN  for traditional camembert, and from looking back at some of the posts he had (like the pont l'eveque'ish cheese he made) I am leaning towards trying this, haven't fully decided on a pc strain yet.  I have and have been using neige and am not entirely disastified with it, it is very strongly flavored which so far I don't mind, but I am sure I will want to try something else soon.  I have gotten some other beasty that populated my first cam on some but not all rounds, did no harm and probably improved the cheese.  I am just so damn thrilled to be making my own camembert as it is one of my favorite cheeses.  Just finished my second batch on Sunday and tonight it goes into the "cave". 

John

FRANCOIS

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2015, 12:07:29 AM »
ARN is ok, it's a bit yeasty for my taste.  My preference on the list would be GEO13 on a white mould but my favourite is OFR9 (but I don't think it's available in the US).  It works awesome as a precursor for any PC and equally as well as a start-off for b. linens. 

You choose your PC based on what you want the final cheese to be like.  They all will work fine, they just make different cheeses.

Mermaid

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2015, 10:48:25 AM »
My only advice is to use SAM only when you do get bad mucor and then switch back to anther strain. I was using SAM because hey I didn't get mucor!! But it ripened the cheeses way too fast and ammoniated them. The cheese didn't keep as long and had a weird flavor .

Stinky

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2015, 06:42:58 PM »
Thanks for the input! Another question: how necessary is geo? Could it be done with just PC if you're careful?

Mermaid

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #7 on: May 24, 2015, 12:50:41 AM »
Not sure.
I always use a pinch of GEO in addition to whatever pen. can. mold I am using. This is because the GEO establishes itself first- you will feel it on the cheese as a slightly slimy feeling the first few days of ripening. This forms a protective coating on the outside allowing the pen. mold to take over. I think it might have trouble growing correctly without it but Im sure some people do it!

FRANCOIS

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Re: Which strains for bloomy cheeses?
« Reply #8 on: May 24, 2015, 09:04:35 PM »
You can use straight PC, but double or triple the dosage.  It also helps to have the cheese near it that is already ripened when maturing.  Basically you need to completely bombard the rind with PC.