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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Greece, Thessaly and Western and Central Macedonia

Batzos PDOΜπάτζος

Batzos is a semi-hard to hard Greek cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk, or both. The curd is cooked to 45 °C, drained in cloths, cut into slabs and dry-salted, then ripened and kept in metal tins of 10–12% brine for at least three months. Made in 6 steps over 3.2 months. The longest step, ripen in brine, takes at least 3 months (Greek Ministry of Agriculture). Salt is 10–12 % (Greek Ministry of Agriculture). Lactic acid bacteria, dominant throughout ripening; Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis the most often isolated species, with more enterococci in winter and more lactobacilli in spring and summer does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 3 monthsSet[batzos-sum]Ripen in brine
Temperature28–32 °CSet[batzos-sum]Set the milk
Salt10–12 %Set[batzos-sum]Ripen in brine
Fully documentedCheese3.2 monthsPDO (EU, 1996); Greek Ministerial Decision 313057/17.1.94Family: White brined cheese family (Feta PDO as template)More white brined cheesesMore from Greece

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe registration summary gives temperatures and times, not amounts.
Sheep milk, goat milk or a mix · From sheep and goat breeds reared traditionally in the area[batzos-sum]
Coagulant · The registration summary says the milk is coagulated but does not name the coagulant[batzos-sum]
Salt · Dry salt on the slabs, then brine of 10–12% salt[batzos-sum]
Starter: none named in the specification; studied raw-milk batches relied on the milk's own lactic bacteria

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.2 months

Start
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28–32 °C

What changes: Sheep or goat milk is set into curd at about 30 °C

Step 1 of 6
Set the milk
Time
50 min
Set
Temperature
28–32 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactococcus lactis
Lactobacilli
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Most Greek brined cheeses, such as feta, are soft curds that are not cooked. Batzos curd is heated to 45 °C and drained in cloths before brining, so it ripens into a firmer, semi-hard to hard cheese.

Milk
Sheep, goat or mixed milk
Cooking
Curd reheated to 45 °C
Ripening
At least 3 months in 10–12% brine

Related ferments

Safety

In the raw goat milk batches studied, Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms were high early on and fell during ripening, which the authors put down mainly to the cheese's high salt. A 2021 survey of six Greek PDO cheeses found the highest presumptive Listeria and S. aureus counts in Batzos, so the full brine ripening matters.

Hazards the sources name: Presumptive Listeria spp. and presumptive Staphylococcus aureus, recorded at the highest levels of six Greek PDO cheeses tested.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The 1994 Greek ministerial decision behind the PDO calls Batzos a well-regarded cheese made for many decades in the area. The Larisa association of cheese producers in Tyrnavos applied for the name, which was registered in 1996.

  1. [batzos-sum] Greek Ministry of Agriculture, application for registration of Batzos PDO (summary of Ministerial Decision 313057/17.1.94), EU file PDO-GR-0447, eAmbrosia summary sheet (EN and EL)spec
  2. [psoni2003] Psoni L, Tzanetakis N, Litopoulou-Tzanetaki E. 2003. Microbiological characteristics of Batzos, a traditional Greek cheese from raw goat's milk. Food Microbiology 20, 575–582 (abstract)paper
  3. [rhoades2021] Rhoades J et al. 2021. Microbiological analysis of Greek Protected Designation of Origin cheeses and characterisation of the isolated lactic acid bacteria. International Dairy Journal 123 (abstract)paper