How is Blue Cheese Made? (2024)

FAQs

How is Blue Cheese Made? ›

To make blue cheese, cheesemakers introduce a mold to the curd before it is formed into wheels. As the cheese ages, cheesemakers insert spikes or rods into the cheese, creating veins where oxygen can flow and allow the mold to grow.

Blue cheese is made using a type of mold called Penicillium, which is responsible for its distinct taste, smell, and appearance. Unlike other types of mold, the types of Penicillium used to produce blue cheese do not produce mycotoxins and are considered safe to consume.

What makes blue cheese blue? The signature blue or green veining on these types of cheeses come from the addition of Penicillium mold during the cheesemaking process. The most typical blue mold used is called Penicillium Roqueforti, named after a village in southern France where the discovery of the mold originated.

Blue cheese is rich in calcium, which is essential for healthy teeth and bones. The cheese also contains other nutrients that may help promote immune, cardiovascular, and cognitive functioning. However, people should consume blue cheese in moderation due to its high levels of saturated fat, calories, and sodium.

Researchers have proved it's actually good for you. Along with other aged cheeses, blue cheese is great for your gut health and therefore you're over all well-being. Cheese is one of the foods many dieters ditch in the new year, thinking it's calorific because of the high fat content and will cause weight gain.

The antibiotic penicillin is made from the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum. Stilton and most other blue cheeses do use Penicillium mould to create the blue veins, but they use a different strain (P. roqueforti) and the whole mould, rather than the penicillin extract.

The best way to tell if your blue cheese has spoiled is to smell it. Fresh blue cheese has a strong scent, but it changes as it starts to go bad. Give the cheese a sniff, and if it has an ammonia-like smell, it is probably spoiled. It's a good idea to give blue cheese a smell when you've just brought it home.

What gives blue cheese its flavor? Blue cheese's distinct and often earthy flavor comes from the intentionally introduced fungi, Penicillium roqueforti. This mold breaks down some of the fat within the cheese, turning it into different compounds that change the flavor and aroma of the cheese.

In fact, it was said to be a shepherd in Roquefort who invented blue cheese purely by accident. A half eaten loaf of bread was left in a cave and upon rediscovery, months later, it was found that there was mold on the bread which had also turned the cheese into blue cheese.

This special mold creates the unique veins of blue or blue-green mold throughout the cheese. It is these blue veins in the cheese that gave it its name, as well as its signature sharp and salty flavor. These veins of mold, along with certain types of bacteria, also give blue cheese its special smell.

What is the healthiest cheese to eat? ›

No, never give your dog blue cheese. The fungus involved in making blue cheeses such as Stilton can produce a substance called roquefortine C, which dogs can be very sensitive to. If your dog ingests this, they may develop the following symptoms: Vomiting.

Blue cheese possesses anti-inflammatory properties that help in reducing joint inflammation and relieve arthritis pain. Addition of blue cheese in your diet plan lowers the risk of arthritis and also helps in combating it.

The stinky, but flavorful blue cheese we just can't stay away from has a bit more calories— about 100 calories per ounce — than feta and goat cheese. It also has more fat, about 8.2 grams per ounce, and more protein, about 6.1 grams.

The main cheese-making Penicilliums — roqueforti (blue cheese), camemberti, (Camembert and Brie) and glaucum (Gorgonzola) — are not penicillin producers. They do produce other antibacterial metabolites — as well as human toxins and allergens — but no medically useful antibiotics.

A cheese simply labeled "blue" will typically be more intense-tasting, saltier and less creamy than Gorgonzola, but you can usually substitute one for the other in most recipes, and they both work beautifully on cheese boards.

Blue cheese has a complex microflora and has primary (lactic acid bacteria), secondary (Penicillium roqueforti), and other microorganisms, including non-starter lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. This type of cheeses are characterized by the growth of P.

Although blue cheese is rich in many good microorganisms, it is not a probiotic. However, blue cheese has a variety of probiotic bacteria, such as bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria. But there is not enough evidence to prove blue cheese a probiotic.

Stilton is another world-famous blue cheese…or at least Blue Stilton is. (White Stilton, a lesser-known cheese made without the mold, is creamy, open-textured, and used for blending with fruits to make dessert cheeses.)

Is cheese made from mold? Cheese is not mold nor is it the by-product of mold. Some cheese varieties like blue cheese have specific species of mold that are intentionally added during the cheesemaking process to enhance the flavor or texture. The mold added to these cheeses can be thought of as a special ingredient.