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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Brazil

Queijo do Reinoqueijo do reino

Brazil's Edam-derived ball cheese is made from pasteurised cow milk with a starter of Lactobacillus helveticus and mesophilic lactococci. The curd is cooked by adding hot water, moulded into balls, brined for one and a half to two days, dried and ripened, then its rind is painted red and the ball is traditionally sealed in a tin. Made in 7 steps over 52 days. The longest step, ripen, wash and scrape, takes 40 days (Taveira L.B. 2013). Salt is 20–22 % (Taveira L.B. 2013). Lactobacillus helveticus, which makes the cheese firmer, drier and sharper and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and subsp. cremoris do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step40 daysReported[taveira2013]Ripen, wash and scrape
Temperature43–45 °CReported[taveira2013]Cut and cook with hot water
Salt20–22 %Reported[taveira2013]Brine
DocumentedCheese52 daysnone (no Brazilian identity and quality standard)Family: Washed-curd cheese family (Gouda as template)More washed-curd cheesesMore from Brazil

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceAmounts are given as shares of the milk. The study batches used 10,000 litres of milk each, and the cheeses averaged 1 kg.
Pasteurised, standardised cow milk[taveira2013]
1.5 % (m/v) in all, of which 0.1–0.5 % is L. helveticusLactic starter · Lactobacillus helveticus with a mesophilic "O" or "LD" culture[taveira2013]
15–20 % of the milk volumeHot water at 75–80 °C · Added to cook the curd[taveira2013]
Rennet[taveira2013]
Salt · Brine of 20–22 % NaCl[taveira2013]
Red rind colouring · The rind is painted red or pink; annatto is the usual dye[taveira2013][wp-pt]
StarterLactobacillus helveticus with mesophilic O or LD cultures

Total time across the recorded steps: 52 days

Start
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shapes, not to countLactic acid bacteria

What changes: A starter of lactic bacteria and rennet go into pasteurised cow milk

Step 1 of 7
Add starter and rennet
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactobacillus helveticus
Lactococcus lactis
L. mesenteroides

Output: curd.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
gel
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

thermophilic and mesophilic lactic bacteria start the souring

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

It began as a copy of Dutch Edam but is drier, firmer and sharper, with a stronger colour. Its rind is painted red and the traditional ball is sealed in a tin, a packaging not used in Europe.

Milk
Pasteurised, standardised cow milk
Ripening
Traditionally 40 days; the study followed cheeses to 156 days
Rind
Thin, smooth, painted red or pink, with or without paraffin
Composition
Literature values cited in the study give pH 5.1–5.3 and 1.5–1.8 % NaCl
Size
A ball of 1.5–2.0 kg in the past, 0.9–1.3 kg today; the study's cheeses averaged 1 kg and 13 cm across

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is pasteurised and the cheese is brined and ripened.

History and sources

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

Dutch Edam reached Brazil through Portugal, hence the name, "from the Kingdom". Industrial production began in 1888 at the Companhia de Laticínios da Mantiqueira in Palmyra, Minas Gerais, founded by Carlos Pereira de Sá Fortes with Dutch cheesemakers. It was the first ripened cheese made industrially in Brazil.

  1. [taveira2013] Taveira L.B. 2013, Aspectos físico-químicos e sensoriais do queijo reino maturado sob diferentes condições, visando à exportação, master's dissertation, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Forapaper
  2. [wp-pt] Wikipédia (pt), Queijo do reino (outline only)wiki