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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from France, Savoie

Reblochon

Whole raw cow milk is set with calf rennet at 30–35 °C within a day of milking, cut to grains the size of wheat or maize, and pressed lightly in small moulds. After salting, the cheese dries in a warm room where it is washed once, then ripens in a cool cave until its thin yellow rind is covered with a short white bloom of Geotrichum. Made in 7 steps over 21 days. The longest step, ripen in the cave, takes at least 16 days (INAO 2010) and runs at 10–15 °C (INAO 2010). Lactic starter bacteria; Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus in a Reblochon-style study and Geotrichum candidum, the white bloom on the rind and the most active microbe in a Reblochon-style rind do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 16 daysSet[inao-cdc]Ripen in the cave
Temperature10–15 °CSet[inao-cdc]Ripen in the cave

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe specification gives the starter dose as a share of the milk and sets no other amounts.
Whole raw cow milk · From two milkings at least 8 h apart; nothing added or removed, no heat treatment[inao-cdc]
Calf rennet · Traditional or commercial rennet from the stomach of unweaned calves[inao-cdc]
At most 2 % in dairies, 0.5 % on farmsLactic starter (grand levain) · Selected cultures from a list kept by the producers' group[inao-cdc]
Selected fungal cultures for the rind[inao-cdc]
Fine salt or brine[inao-cdc]
Carotene (E160a) or annatto (E160b), optional · Rind colour only; colouring the paste is banned[inao-cdc]
Starterlactic starter (grand levain) plus selected fungal cultures

Total time across the recorded steps: 21 days

Start
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up to 10 °C

What changes: Starting material: whole raw cow milk, used within a day of milking

Step 1 of 7
Use the milk raw within a day
Time
up to 24 h
Set
Temperature
up to 10 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus
L. delbrueckii
Geotrichum candidum
Yeasts
Geotrichum

Output: whole raw milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
white

Microbes at work in this step

raw-milk flora

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

Reblochon is made from whole raw milk within 24 hours of milking, and farm cheese is made twice a day straight after milking with no chilling. It is pressed only lightly under a small weight, washed once while drying, and ripened under a white Geotrichum bloom rather than a sticky red smear.

Milk
Whole raw milk from two milkings, stored at 10 °C or less and renneted within 24 h of the oldest milking
Setting
Rennet at 30–35 °C, set in 10–20 min; curd the size of a wheat to maize grain
Pressing
Pressed at 1.5–2 kg per cheese, for at least 1 h 30 min in dairies or 6 h on farms
Washing
Drying room at 14–21 °C, RH above 90%, until day 4 or more, with a compulsory washing
Ripening
In the cave at 10–15 °C, RH above 90%, until day 12 or more; then packed and ripened to at least day 18
Size
About 14 cm across and 3.5 cm high, 450–550 g; fat in dry matter at least 45%

Related ferments

Variants

  • Petit ReblochonAbout 9 cm across, in 9 cm moulds; press weight over 500 g.
  • Reblochon fermierMade on the farm twice a day with unchilled milk, pressed at least 6 h, at most 0.5 % starter.

Safety

The milk is raw by rule; the specification bans any pasteuriser, thermiser or microfilter in the workshop.

History and sources

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

  1. [inao-cdc] INAO, Cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine « Reblochon » ou « Reblochon de Savoie », national-opposition version of 10 Dec 2010 with proposed amendments (amended wording used)spec
  2. [monnet2016] Monnet C., Dugat-Bony E., Swennen D., Beckerich J.M., Irlinger F., Fraud S., Bonnarme P. 2016, Investigation of the activity of the microorganisms in a Reblochon-style cheese by metatranscriptomic analysis, Frontiers in Microbiology 7:536, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.00536paper