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Cheese from Italy, Sardegna

Biancospino

Thermised or pasteurised whole milk of Sarda goats is seeded with a mesophilic starter and Penicillium candidum spores, left to sour as it cools, and set with a little calf rennet at 22–25 °C. After 16–20 hours the curd is cut into cubes, ladled into small moulds and salted, and the cheeses ripen 15–30 days in cool, humid cellars until a white mould felt covers them.

Fully documentedCheese18 days – 33 daysPAT (traditional agri-food product of Sardegna)Family: Lactic soft-ripened cheese family (goat/sheep/cow lactic curd)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe rennet dose is per 100 litres of milk. Each cheese weighs 150–250 g.
Whole goat milkSarda breed; thermised, or pasteurised at 72 °C for 15 seconds[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Mesophilic starter (latto-fermento)Mainly Lactococcus lactis, with Penicillium candidum spores[pat-sheet]
Liquid calf rennet5–8 ml per 100 litres of milk[pat-sheet]
SaltRubbed on dry, or a 23 % brine[pat-sheet]
Penicillium candidum spore suspensionSprayed on the young cheeses[pat-sheet]
Startermesophilic lactic starter dominated by Lactococcus lactis, with Penicillium candidum spores

Total time across the recorded steps: 18 days – 33 days

Start
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72 °C

What changes: Whole goat milk is heated to kill its own microbes

Step 1 of 7
Heat-treat the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
72 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactococcus lactis
Penicillium candidum
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: heat-treated whole goat milk.

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

Thermised or pasteurised whole milk of Sarda goats is seeded with a mesophilic starter and Penicillium candidum spores, left to sour as it cools, and set with a little calf rennet at 22–25 °C. After 16–20 hours the curd is cut into cubes, ladled into small moulds and salted, and the cheeses ripen 15–30 days in cool, humid cellars until a white mould felt covers them. Made in 7 steps over 18 days – 33 days. The longest step, ripen until the white felt grows, takes 15–30 days (Regione Sardegna 2016) and runs at 8–10 °C (Regione Sardegna 2016). Salt is 23 % (Regione Sardegna 2016). Lactococcus lactis and Penicillium candidum do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step15–30 daysReported[pat-sheet]Ripen until the white felt grows
Temperature8–10 °CReported[pat-sheet]Ripen until the white felt grows
Salt23 %Reported[pat-sheet]Salt both faces

What makes this one different

It is a slow, mostly acid-set curd with a white mould rind, a recipe worked out by the Sardinian dairy research institute at Olmedo in the early 1980s.

Season
Made from December to July (ONAF sheet)
Size
150–250 g; ø 8–10 cm, height 4–7 cm
Rind
Edible white felt of Penicillium candidum after a few weeks

Related ferments

Variants

  • FreschissimoEaten within 48 hours, before any bloom.
  • Ripened15–30 days, with a white bloomy rind.

Safety

The milk is thermised or pasteurised. The NHS says soft mould-ripened cheeses can carry listeria and must be cooked thoroughly before pregnant women eat them.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes, the risk the NHS names for soft mould-ripened cheeses.

History and sources

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

The Istituto Zootecnico e Caseario della Sardegna at Olmedo worked out the method in the early 1980s, and the University of Sassari described it in the early 1990s. Production is limited, and the area where it is eaten is San Nicolò Gerrei and Meana Sardo.

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Sardegna, Scheda identificativa dei prodotti tradizionali, Biancospino (L. 238/2016 art. 12, D.Lgs. 173/98 art. 8, DGR 56/41 of 20.12.2017)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF, Biancospino, technical sheet (PAT Sardegna)web
  3. [nhs-preg] NHS (UK), Foods to avoid in pregnancy (cheese section)gov