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Cheese from Italy

Fior di latte / Mozzarella STGFior di latte

Whole milk is pasteurised, seeded with a natural milk starter of heat-loving streptococci and set with bovine rennet at 35–39 °C. The curd is drained and left to sour to pH 5.0–5.4, then stretched in hot water until it reaches 58–65 °C. It is moulded while hot, firmed in cold water and sold fresh in liquid.

Fully documentedCheese0.2 minTSG (EU, registered 1998); Codex standard CXS 262-2006Family: Pasta filata (stretched-curd) cheese family

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe TSG fixes the steps and limits, not the amounts.
Whole milkArrives raw; pasteurised at no less than 71.7 °C for 15 s or an equivalent[mozz-tsg]
Natural milk starter (lattoinnesto)Made at the dairy from local raw milk; used within 3 days; each new starter is seeded with at least 4 % of the previous one[mozz-tsg]
Liquid bovine rennet20–30 % pepsin activity[mozz-tsg]
Hot waterFor stretching; sometimes salted[mozz-tsg]
Cold water or brineTo firm the cheese; also the liquid it is sold in[mozz-tsg][codex-mozz]
Starternatural milk starter (lattoinnesto) of undefined Streptococcus thermophilus strains, grown at the dairy from local raw milk

Total time across the recorded steps: 0.2 min

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
shapes, not to countS. thermophilus42–50 °CMilk sugarLactic acid

What changes: Heated raw milk is held warm until its own heat-loving streptococci sour it into a starter

Step 1 of 7
Grow the natural milk starter
Time
Not documented
Temperature
42–50 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus

Output: natural milk starter.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

heat treatment leaves the heat-resistant streptococci of the raw milk, which then multiply

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

Whole milk is pasteurised, seeded with a natural milk starter of heat-loving streptococci and set with bovine rennet at 35–39 °C. The curd is drained and left to sour to pH 5.0–5.4, then stretched in hot water until it reaches 58–65 °C. It is moulded while hot, firmed in cold water and sold fresh in liquid. Made in 7 steps over 0.2 min. The longest step, pasteurise the milk, takes at least 0.2 min (Commission Regulation (EC) No 2527/98 of 25 N…) and runs at at least 71.7 °C (Commission Regulation (EC) No 2527/98 of 25 N…). Streptococcus thermophilus does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 0.2 minSet[mozz-tsg]Pasteurise the milk
Temperatureat least 71.7 °CSet[mozz-tsg]Pasteurise the milk
AciditypH 5.1–5.6Set[mozz-tsg]Firm in cold water and pack in liquid

What makes this one different

Puglia's tradition sheet for "mozzarella or fior di latte" names raw cow milk. The TSG version must use a natural milk starter grown at the dairy from local raw milk, which is a mix of undefined Streptococcus thermophilus strains. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is made from buffalo milk.

Milk
Whole milk that arrives raw and is pasteurised at the dairy (TSG)
Ripening
Fresh; sold in liquid and kept at 0–4 °C
Composition
TSG rules: at least 44 % fat in dry matter; moisture 58–66 % for spheres, 56–62 % for plaits; natural salt no more than 1 %
Lactic flora
TSG rules: at least 10⁷ cfu/g of the heat-resistant flora within 3 days of making

Related ferments

Variants

  • Mozzarella o fior di latte (Puglia, PAT)Raw cow milk; set at about 36–37 °C; stretched in water at 85–95 °C.
  • Low-moisture mozzarella (Codex)Firm or semi-hard, without holes, suitable for shredding.

Safety

The TSG fixes the milk as pasteurised at no less than 71.7 °C for 15 s or an equivalent treatment. The raw milk for the natural starter is first heated to at least 63 °C for at least 15 min, and the ready starter must test negative for phosphatase. The finished cheese is kept at 0–4 °C, has a paste pH of 5.1–5.6 and carries a use-by date on the label.

History and sources

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

The traditional Mozzarella specification was first published in the Official Journal on 24 August 1996. Several objections followed and the member states could not agree, so the Commission decided and registered the name as a traditional speciality guaranteed on 25 November 1998 (Regulation 2527/98), replacing the 1996 summary. The registration does not stop others using the name under a different specification, but they may not use the EU logo or mention on the label. The specification calls the product an established technique for fresh pasta filata and part of the historic heritage of the Italian dairy industry.

  1. [mozz-tsg] Commission Regulation (EC) No 2527/98 of 25 November 1998 registering 'Mozzarella' as a traditional speciality guaranteed, Annex II (summary of the specification), OJ L 317, 26.11.1998, pp. 14–18 (Spanish edition)spec
  2. [codex-mozz] Codex Alimentarius, Standard for Mozzarella (CODEX STAN 262-2006), in Milk and Milk Products, 2nd edition, FAO/WHO, Rome, 2011spec
  3. [puglia-pat] Regione Puglia, Scheda identificativa per l'Elenco dei Prodotti Tradizionali, Mozzarella o fior di latte (via ONAF)gov