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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from France

Port-Salut / Saint-PaulinPort-Salut

Cow milk, usually pasteurised, is soured with lactic cultures and set quickly with rennet. The cut curd is washed in water or brine, pressed into a flat round and brined, then ripened about four weeks at around 12 °C while the rind is washed often, giving a firm but supple semi-hard cheese. Made in 5 steps over 23 days – 28 days. The longest step, ripen, washing the rind, takes 23–28 days (CONACYT El Salvador 1968) and runs at 12 °C (CONACYT El Salvador 1968). Lactic acid bacteria added as ferments does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step23–28 daysSet[nsr-saintpaulin][boulares2011]Ripen, washing the rind
Temperature12 °CSet[nsr-saintpaulin]Ripen, washing the rind

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe standard sets limits for optional additives and no amounts for the main ingredients.
Cow milk · Generally pasteurised[nsr-saintpaulin]
Lactic acid bacteria (lactic ferments)[nsr-saintpaulin]
Rennet or other suitable coagulating enzymes[nsr-saintpaulin]
Salt · As brine[nsr-saintpaulin]
At most 200 mg per kg of milkCalcium chloride, optional[nsr-saintpaulin]
At most 600 mg per kg of cheeseAnnatto and beta-carotene, optional[nsr-saintpaulin]
Starterlactic ferments

Total time across the recorded steps: 23 days – 28 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: Lactic ferments go into pasteurised cow milk

Step 1 of 5
Pasteurise the milk and add lactic ferments
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The standard says the milk is generally pasteurised but gives no temperatures. Output: cultured milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
white

Microbes at work in this step

lactic ferments begin souring the milk

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

Saint-Paulin is a washed-curd, washed-rind cheese ripened only about four weeks, so its paste stays firm but supple. Unlike Reblochon or Munster it is usually made from pasteurised milk, and under the Codex standard a Saint-Paulin made outside France must name its country.

Milk
Cow milk, generally pasteurised
Ripening
About 4 weeks at about 12 °C, rind washed often
Size
About 20 cm across, 4–6 cm high, 1.3–2 kg; Petit Saint-Paulin 8–13 cm, about 0.25 kg; fat at least 40 % of dry matter; moisture at most 56 %

Related ferments

Variants

  • Petit Saint-Paulin8–13 cm across, about 0.25 kg.

Safety

The milk is generally pasteurised.

History and sources

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

  1. [nsr-saintpaulin] CONACYT El Salvador, Norma Salvadoreña Recomendada NSR 67.00.205:99, Queso Saint-Paulin (adoption of Codex standard C-13-1968), Acuerdo No. 818 of 26 Sep 2000spec
  2. [boulares2011] Boulares M., Mankai M., Hassouna M. 2011, Effect of activating lactoperoxidase system in cheese milk on the quality of Saint-Paulin cheese, International Journal of Dairy Technology 64(1):75–83, doi:10.1111/j.1471-0307.2010.00646.x (abstract)paper