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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Iran, East Azerbaijan province

Lighvanپنیر لیقوان

Lighvan is a salty, semi-hard white cheese made from raw sheep milk, sometimes with some goat milk, and no starter culture. The milk is set with lamb rennet at about 22–23 °C, drained under weights, cut into blocks and dry-salted. The blocks ripen in tins of 10–12% brine in cold rooms for at least 90 days. Made in 6 steps over 3 months. The longest step, ripen in brine in tins, takes at least 3 months (Saremnezhad S 2024) and runs at 5–9 °C (Rashtchi P 2021). Salt is 10–12 % (Saremnezhad S 2024). Lactic acid bacteria of the raw milk and Lactobacilli do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 3 monthsReported[saremnezhad2024]Ripen in brine in tins
Temperature5–9 °CReported[rashtchi2021][saremnezhad2024]Ripen in brine in tins
Salt10–12 %Reported[saremnezhad2024][rashtchi2021]Ripen in brine in tins
AciditypH 5.6 → 5.36Measured[rashtchi2021]Ripen in brine in tins

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedTraditional process with no fixed batch size; the steps and brine strength follow a 2024 study's description of traditional practice.
Raw sheep milk · Sometimes with small amounts of goat milk; filtered and cooled[saremnezhad2024]
Lamb rennet[saremnezhad2024]
Dry salt, then 10–12% brine[saremnezhad2024]
Starter: none; the raw-milk flora ferments the cheese

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 months

Start
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22–23 °Cshapes, not to countLactic acid bacteriaLactobacilli

What changes: Lamb rennet goes into raw sheep milk cooled to about room temperature

Step 1 of 6
Cool the raw milk and add lamb rennet
Time
Not documented
Temperature
22–23 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactobacilli

In one lab study the rennet went in at 28–32 °C and the milk set at 25 °C.

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

Lighvan is set from raw sheep milk with no starter at all, at a cool 22–23 °C, and relies on the milk's own bacteria; studies name this as its main difference from similar white brined cheeses. The blocks are dry-salted before they go into brine.

Milk
Raw sheep milk, sometimes with some goat milk; no starter
Ripening
At least 90 days in 10–12% brine in cold rooms
Output
About 3,150 tonnes a year in the Lighvan region (figure cited in 2021)

Related ferments

Variants

  • Pasteurised-milk LighvanMilk heated 63 °C for 30 min in a 2021 study; no coliforms, higher pH (6.11–6.36)
  • Sheep–goat blendsStudied at 0–100% goat milk in 2024

Safety

Studies of raw-milk Lighvan found coliforms and E. coli surviving to day 60 of ripening, and earlier surveys found E. coli, coagulase-positive S. aureus and Listeria in samples or milk. Cheese made from pasteurised milk had far lower counts and no coliforms.

Hazards the sources name: Coliforms and Escherichia coli, still present at day 60 in raw-milk cheeses; Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus (18% of 178 samples) and Listeria monocytogenes in the raw milk (earlier studies cited).

History and sources

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

The cheese is named after the Lighvan area of East Azerbaijan, and studies call it the most popular traditional cheese in Iran. Most of its milk comes from small farms milked by hand.

  1. [rashtchi2021] Rashtchi P., Bazmi A., Noshirvani N., Moosavy M.H. 2021, Comparison of the microbial, physicochemical, and sensorial properties of raw and pasteurized Lighvan cheeses during ripening time, Food Science & Nutritionpaper
  2. [saremnezhad2024] Saremnezhad S., Soltani M., Tekin A. et al. 2024, Influence of the blends of sheep's and goat's milk on the functional properties and volatile compounds of Lighvan cheese during ripening, Food Science & Nutritionpaper