Guy,
I'm new here but have been making cheese for about six months. Ive just completed a Double Brie and used Penicillium Candidum(is this the same as cememberti as its already in the Mad Millie Mix?) and Mad Millies White Mould Cheese. This pink mould started growing within 3 days and has now spread. Whats happened?. Should I throw it out?. The added cream was Australian Bulla 45% fat, but it did contain thickeners.(//)
Magandang umaga! Welcome to the forum!
Yes, the white mold is the same for brie or camembert - Penicillium camemberti (PC) - but there are several subspecies of PC. As far as I know, none of them should be pink!
When I was reading your message, I wondered about Geotrichium candidum (geo) - this is often used alongside PC when making a camembert or brie. Usually the geo blooms first, with a slimy texture and an appearance that can range from off-white to dark cream to light pink. However, the pink in your picture looks too dark for any of the geo that I have experienced.
The most common cause of a pink - orange - red color in cheese is Brevibacterium linens, which is cultivated for "stinky" cheeses such as Munster or Limburger. It generally has an odor similar to foot odor (in fact, it is the same bacteria at work). I wouldn't say that your picture really looks like B. linens, but maybe ... ??
Unfortunately, I don't have any other ideas to offer, but hopefully someone else will chime in.
Thanks for that.... its a mystery!
Yet,
Today when I inspected the Bries I notice a white mold is now taking over and displacing the pink mold. I read on this board someone else had a similar experience.
This could be just what happens and it might all work out well!
That's exactly how it progresses from geo to PC - first the geo appears, then the PC takes over a few days later. Maybe your geo is just very, very pink??
I'm almost certain that's b. linens (or a relative). I had it in my cave when I first started, but it seems to have been taken over by an orange one now. It is an alarming colour, but I think it's safe (or at least mine seemed to be -- ate the cheeses ;-) ). B. linens only shows up on the rind when the pH hits 5.8, so that's why it showed up after the first bloom of geo/PC. I'm actually intrigued that the PC started up again. That stuff is persistent! Interestingly, I have been told that *really* super traditional Brie is supposed to be mottled white/pink because b. linens gets in there, so it sounds like you are doing everything right!
Here they are again today......
Note:
1. Ive never used B. Linens and it not in the Mad Millie white cheese mould so it cant be that.
2. There is no P. Geotricum in the mix at all.... its on my "to buy" list.
Anyhow, I'll be watching. They did get a double dose of Penicillium Candidum though......
Actually, both B. linens and geo are part of the human biome, as I recall (just as the lactic acid bacteria were and are a natural part of raw milk). These days we can buy the cultures in freeze-dried form, but once upon a time, these came from the environment, including the humans making the cheese. :) B. linens in particular is very easy to get going "out of the air" - if the conditions are right, it will happily move in.
I can verify. I've never added either geo or b. linens and they are very active in my cave. B. linens is on human skin and it's practically impossible to stop it from invading your cheeses (maybe if you scrubbed up like a surgeon every time you dealt with your cheese you might be able to do it). Geotrichum candidum occurs naturally in soil, but it gets picked up by fruit flies and transferred to any food in your house. It's also just in the air. It is apparently technically a yeast. I've heard that some people can't grow geo naturally, but for me it just showed up by making sure that I didn't over-salt the rind of the cheese.
Here's they are again 24 hours later...... the white mould seems to be taking over although Im not sure if the pink color will disappear completely.
They look good. I wish I could remember where I heard/saw the comment that traditional brie was just like this: white mottled with pink. I predict they will be fabulous! Please follow up when you eat them :-)
Here's they are another day on...... it seems the white guys are winning.... not sure how long to leave them until wrapping them in the cheese paper..... what temperature should I store/mature brie/camembert for longer term maturation?
I'd say you could wrap them any time. (You are using breathable cheese paper, right?)
I like to continue the aging in my kitchen refrigerator; the colder temperature extends the aging time, and I think gives a better flavor overall.
Thanks for the advice!.....
All wrapped!
My experience is 5-6 weeks in the cold refrigerator until my bloomy's start to be ready to eat. Depends on how gooey you want them to be. Note that this is for a 5.75" round - a very large camembert or very small brie. I don't know how the size will affect the timing ...