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Cheese from Italy, Lombardia

Caprino vaccinoRobiolino

A soft fresh cheese of pasteurised cow milk named after the goat caprino. The milk is soured with added lactic ferments, usually acid whey, set with calf rennet at 32–38 °C, broken to hazelnut size and drained in tied cloth bundles. The curd is salted, sometimes mixed with herbs or spices, shaped into small logs and wrapped in parchment.

Fully documentedCheese24 h – 7 daysTraditional food product (PAT, Lombardia)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe regional sheet lists the steps but no doses; the ONAF sheet gives the temperatures and times. Each log weighs 80–160 g.
Pasteurised cow milk, whole or skimmed[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Lactic ferments (natural milk starters or thermophilic cultures, usually acid whey)[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Calf liquid rennet[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Salt[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Herbs or spices (optional)[pat-sheet]
Water with potassium sorbate (E202), optional, against moulds[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Starteradded lactic ferments (lattoinnesti or thermophilic cultures, usually acid whey)

Total time across the recorded steps: 24 h – 7 days

Start
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What changes: Pasteurised cow milk warms and the lactic ferments go in

Step 1 of 6
Warm the milk and add cultures
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Pasteurised milk is heated over wood, gas or steam and the cultures go in. Rennet follows about 30 minutes after the milk reaches setting temperature.

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

A soft fresh cheese of pasteurised cow milk named after the goat caprino. The milk is soured with added lactic ferments, usually acid whey, set with calf rennet at 32–38 °C, broken to hazelnut size and drained in tied cloth bundles. The curd is salted, sometimes mixed with herbs or spices, shaped into small logs and wrapped in parchment. Made in 6 steps over 24 h – 7 days. The longest step, keep cold or ripen, takes 24 h – 7 days (ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters)) and runs at 4–12 °C (ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters)).

Key numbers
Main step24 h – 7 daysReported[onaf-sheet]Keep cold or ripen
Temperature4–12 °CReported[onaf-sheet]Keep cold or ripen

What makes this one different

A cow-milk cheese that borrows the goat caprino's name and log shape. The curd is drained in cloth bundles and may be dipped in a sorbate bath, and it is made fresh, aged or light.

Size
Cylinder 10 cm long, 80–160 g
Preservative
Some makers dip the drained curd in water with potassium sorbate (E202)

Related ferments

Variants

  • FrescoAbout 1 day at 4 °C.
  • StagionatoAt least 1 week at 8–12 °C; very thin white-yellow skin, firmer and fuller.
  • LightMade from skimmed milk.
  • AromatizzatoFlecked with herbs or spices.

Safety

Made from pasteurised milk and eaten within days. Keep it at 4 °C.

Hazards the sources name: Bacillus cereus (found at 1.30–1.48 log CFU/g in cow-milk caprino among fresh cheeses sold in Italy; a general finding, not this cheese).

History and sources

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

The ONAF sheet says families with one or more cows once left the milk to sour without rennet in pails or tubs, up to three days, and drained the fragile curd into a cheese like goat caprino, which gave the name. Today added ferments and a very small dose of rennet make it faster. The sheet says the milk was raw and fresh in the tradition and is pasteurised today. Lombardy listed it as a traditional product in 2008 (decree DDUO 3392 of 7 April 2008).

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Lombardia, Schede prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, Allegato B to decree DDUO n. 3392 of 7 April 2008, 'Caprino vaccino' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Caprino vaccino'web
  3. [tirloni2023] Tirloni E. et al., 2023, Prevalence, Virulence Potential, and Growth in Cheese of Bacillus cereus Strains Isolated from Fresh and Short-Ripened Cheeses Sold on the Italian Market, Microorganisms 11(2):521paper