Skip to main content
Support

Browse by category

All categories
Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Italy

Fior di latte / Mozzarella STGFior di latte

Whole cow milk is pasteurised, seeded with a natural milk starter of heat-loving streptococci and set with bovine rennet at 35–39 °C. The curd is drained and left to sour to pH 5.0–5.4, then stretched in hot water until it reaches 58–65 °C. It is moulded while hot, firmed in cold water and sold fresh in liquid. Made in 7 steps over 3 days. The longest step, grow the natural milk starter, takes up to 3 days (Commission Regulation (EC) No 2527/98 of 25 N…) and runs at 42–50 °C (Commission Regulation (EC) No 2527/98 of 25 N…). Streptococcus thermophilus does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepup to 3 daysSet[mozz-tsg]Grow the natural milk starter
Temperature42–50 °CSet[mozz-tsg]Grow the natural milk starter
AciditypH 5.1–5.6Set[mozz-tsg]Firm in cold water and pack in liquid
Fully documentedCheese3 daysTSG (EU, registered 1998); Codex standard CXS 262-2006Family: Pasta filata (stretched-curd) cheese familyMore stretched-curd cheesesMore from Italy

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe TSG fixes the steps and limits, not the amounts.
Whole cow milk · Arrives raw; pasteurised at no less than 71.7 °C for 15 s or an equivalent[mozz-tsg]
Natural milk starter (lattoinnesto) · Made at the dairy from local raw milk; used within 3 days; at least 4 % of the previous batch seeds the next[mozz-tsg]
Liquid bovine rennet · 20–30 % pepsin activity[mozz-tsg]
Hot water · For stretching; sometimes salted[mozz-tsg]
Cold water or brine · To firm the cheese; also the liquid it is sold in[mozz-tsg][codex-mozz]
Starter: natural milk starter (lattoinnesto) of undefined Streptococcus thermophilus strains, grown at the dairy from local raw milk

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
Milk sugarLactic acid42–50 °Cshapes, not to countS. thermophilus

What changes: Heated raw milk is held warm until its own heat-loving streptococci sour it into a starter

Step 1 of 7
Grow the natural milk starter
Time
up to 3 days
Set
Temperature
42–50 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus

Output: natural milk starter.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

heat treatment leaves the heat-resistant streptococci of the raw milk, which then multiply

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

Fior di latte is cow-milk mozzarella. The TSG version must use a natural milk starter grown at the dairy from local raw milk, which is made mainly of Streptococcus thermophilus. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is made from buffalo milk.

Milk
Whole cow milk that arrives raw and is pasteurised at the dairy (TSG)
Ripening
Fresh; sold in liquid and kept at 0–4 °C
Composition
TSG rules: at least 44 % fat in dry matter; moisture 58–66 % for spheres, 56–62 % for plaits; natural salt no more than 1 %
Lactic flora
TSG rules: at least 10⁷ cfu/g of the heat-resistant flora within 3 days of making

Related ferments

Variants

  • Mozzarella o fior di latte (Puglia, PAT)Raw whole milk; set at about 36–37 °C; stretched in water at 85–95 °C.
  • Low-moisture mozzarella (Codex)Firm, without holes, made for shredding.

History and sources

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

  1. [mozz-tsg] Commission Regulation (EC) No 2527/98 of 25 November 1998 registering 'Mozzarella' as a traditional speciality guaranteed, Annex II (summary of the specification), OJ L 317, 26.11.1998, pp. 14–18 (Spanish edition)spec
  2. [codex-mozz] Codex Alimentarius, Standard for Mozzarella (CODEX STAN 262-2006), in Milk and Milk Products, 2nd edition, FAO/WHO, Rome, 2011spec
  3. [puglia-pat] Regione Puglia, Scheda identificativa per l'Elenco dei Prodotti Tradizionali, Mozzarella o fior di latte (via ONAF)gov