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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from France, Bas-Dauphiné

Saint-Marcellin

Whole cow milk, raw or thermised but never pasteurised, is soured with lactic bacteria and renneted, then left to curdle for 12–24 hours in small basins. The soft curd is moulded without pre-draining or pressing, drains at least 14 hours, is dry-salted, and then dries and ripens until a thin white to grey-blue rind forms, at least 10 days after renneting. Made in 6 steps over 12 days – 13 days. The longest step, drain the surface, dry and ripen, takes at least 10 days (INAO 2012) and runs at 7–26 °C (INAO 2012). Lactococcus lactis, the main lactic bacterium on the rind and Geotrichum candidum, the main yeast on the rind do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 10 daysSet[stmarc-cdc][stmarc-du]Drain the surface, dry and ripen
Temperature7–26 °CSet[stmarc-cdc]Drain the surface, dry and ripen
AciditypH up to 4.6Set[stmarc-cdc]Mould and drain

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification gives no amounts.
Whole cow milk · Not standardised in fat or protein; raw or thermised, never pasteurised; from the area[stmarc-cdc]
Lactic bacteria · Added to sour the milk[stmarc-cdc]
Ripening flora, optional · Yeasts, moulds and Geotrichum[stmarc-cdc]
Rennet[stmarc-cdc]
Dry salt · On both faces; no spices or herbs[stmarc-cdc][stmarc-du]
Starter: lactic bacteria, often with Geotrichum, yeasts and moulds

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 days – 13 days

Start
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8–12 °C

What changes: Starting material: whole cow milk, raw or thermised, never pasteurised

Step 1 of 6
Collect whole milk and optionally pre-ripen it cold
Time
0 min – 24 h
Set
Temperature
8–12 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactococcus lactis
Geotrichum candidum
Yeasts
Geotrichum
Moulds

Output: whole cow milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
white

Microbes at work in this step

native raw-milk flora; milk is used raw or thermised

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-Marcellin is a cow-milk cheese made the way small lactic goat cheeses are made, with a 12–24 hour acid set and no pressing. Pasteurisation is banned, and the curd must not be pre-drained. Its rind is dominated by Geotrichum and its bacteria by Lactococcus, a simpler flora than washed-rind cheeses.

Rind
Thin, sometimes wrinkled; white, beige to grey-blue moulds
Size
65–80 mm diameter, 20–25 mm high, ≥80 g
Styles
Sec has more than 44 % dry matter; moelleux more than 40 %

Related ferments

Variants

  • SecDrier (over 44 % dry matter), firm, keeps longer; the local tradition.
  • MoelleuxSofter (over 40 % dry matter), creamy, stronger aroma; often ripened longer.

Safety

The milk is raw or thermised, never pasteurised.

History and sources

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

The specification says the cheese was dried in hanging baskets called tommiers, sometimes in walnut-drying sheds, and that Saint-Marcellin was the main market town from the 15th century.

  1. [stmarc-cdc] INAO, Cahier des charges de l'IGP « Saint-Marcellin », approved by the standing committee of the national IGP committee on 26 June 2012spec
  2. [stmarc-du] INAO, Document unique IGP « Saint-Marcellin » (Reg. (CE) 510/2006 single document)spec
  3. [dugatbony2016] Dugat-Bony E., Garnier L., Denonfoux J., Ferreira S., Sarthou A.S., Bonnarme P., Irlinger F. 2016, Highlighting the microbial diversity of 12 French cheese varieties, International Journal of Food Microbiology 238:265–273, doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2016.09.026 (accepted manuscript)paper