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Cheese from Mexico, Tabasco

Queso de poro de BalancánQueso de poro

Poro cheese is made in a seven-day process from raw cow milk, which is acidified and set with whey kept from the previous day plus liquid rennet. The curd is cut, drained, moulded in layers, pressed, salted, rested and aired, then coated in white paraffin and wrapped in yellow cellophane. The finished cheese has a very low pH for a Mexican cheese, about 4.3–4.9.

Fully documentedCheese7 daysnone stated in the sources (a 2019 study aimed to support an origin appellation or collective brand request)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedArtisanal process with no fixed amounts in the sources. Finished pieces are about 14 × 9.5 × 3 cm and weigh 250–400 g.
Raw cow milk[gonzalez2019]
Whey from the previous day's make, which acidifies the milk[gonzalez2019]
Liquid rennet (rennin)[gonzalez2019]
Salt[gonzalez2019]
White paraffin and thin yellow cellophane for the finished piece[gonzalez2019]
Starterwhey from the previous day's make (backslopping)

Total time across the recorded steps: 7 days

Start
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What changes: Whey from the previous day and a little rennet curdle the raw milk

Step 1 of 5
Filter, acidify and curdle
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus
L. delbrueckii
Lactobacillus plantarum
L. fermentum

The raw milk is filtered and its temperature checked. Whey from the previous day acidifies and coagulates the milk, then rennin is added.

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

At a glance

Poro cheese is made in a seven-day process from raw cow milk, which is acidified and set with whey kept from the previous day plus liquid rennet. The curd is cut, drained, moulded in layers, pressed, salted, rested and aired, then coated in white paraffin and wrapped in yellow cellophane. The finished cheese has a very low pH for a Mexican cheese, about 4.3–4.9. Made in 5 steps over 7 days. The longest step, coat in paraffin and wrap, takes 7 days (González Ariceaga C.C. et al. 2019). Salt is 2–3.9 % (González Ariceaga C.C. et al. 2019). Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii, the most dominant and abundant species after the curdling step and Lactobacillus plantarum, L. fermentum, L. farciminis and L. rhamnosus, the main isolates from finished cheeses do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step7 daysReported[gonzalez2019]Coat in paraffin and wrap
Salt2–3.9 %Measured[gonzalez2019]Salt, rest and air
AciditypH 4.3–4.9Measured[gonzalez2019]Coat in paraffin and wrap

What makes this one different

The curd is layered in the mould, which leaves small longitudinal eyes in the paste. The cheese is finished in seven days and coated in white paraffin.

Milk
Raw cow milk, usually from Cebuino cattle and their crosses with European breeds
Ripening
A seven-day make with a slight ripening of the paste
Composition
Fat 29.8–37.0%, moisture 28.1–37.0%, protein 24.5–39.4%, NaCl 2.0–3.9%, water activity 0.930–0.955
Size
Flat rectangular blocks about 14 × 9.5 × 3 cm, 250–400 g

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is raw. Averages of pH 4.34, water activity 0.94 and about 3.2% salt were reported, and E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were absent from final cheeses of all dairies in one study, but S. aureus and its toxins were found in some samples from one dairy. The authors call for heat treatment of the milk and good manufacturing practices.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus and its enterotoxins in some samples from one dairy; Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were absent from final cheeses of all dairies.

History and sources

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

The cheese has been made by traditional, unstandardised methods for more than 50 years in the Los Ríos region of Tabasco.

  1. [gonzalez2019] González Ariceaga C.C. et al. 2019, Physicochemical, Sensorial and Microbiological Characterization of Poro Cheese, an Artisanal Mexican Cheese Made from Raw Milk, Foods 8(10):509paper
  2. [delarosa2020] De la Rosa-Alcaraz M.L.Á. et al. 2020, Poro de Tabasco cheese, Chemical composition and microbiological quality during its artisanal manufacturing process, Journal of Dairy Science 103(4):3025-3037 (abstract)paper
  3. [aldrete2014] Aldrete-Tapia A. et al. 2014, High-throughput sequencing of microbial communities in Poro cheese, an artisanal Mexican cheese, Food Microbiology 44:136-141 (abstract)paper