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Cheese from Türkiye, Aegean region

İzmir tulumİzmir Tulum Peyniri

A mix of 50 % sheep, 25 % goat and 25 % cow milk is warmed to 57–62 °C, cooled and set with rennet at 38–40 °C, then the curd is broken to chickpea size, pressed, cut into blocks and dry-salted. After up to 4 days of pre-ripening to pH 5.00–5.20 the blocks are packed in tins under a heated whey brine of 13–14 °Bé. Despite the tulum (skin bag) name, it ripens in sealed tins at 2–4 °C for at least 4 months.

Fully documentedCheese4.1 monthsGeographical indication of origin (mahreç işareti) no. 1006, Türkiye, registered 2022Family: Skin- and pot-ripened cheese family (Tulum, Çömlek)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceAmounts from the registered method, per tonne of milk and per 2.5 kg block. Nothing but milk, rennet and salt may be added.
Sheep, goat and cow milk from the four provinces, morning and evening milk mixed50 % / 25 % / 25 %[tp-1006]
Rennet220–240 mL per 1 tonne of milk, diluted 10–12 timesEnough to set the milk in 45–60 minutes; the dose varies with pH[tp-1006]
Food-grade salt, for dry salting250–270 g per 2.5 kg block[tp-1006]
Whey from the previous day's tulum, salted to 13–14 °Bé, for the brine[tp-1006]
Starternone added; a 2023 study describes brined İzmir tulum as made without starter culture, and the registered method allows only milk, rennet and salt

Total time across the recorded steps: 4.1 months

Start
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57–62 °C

What changes: The mixed milk is warmed quickly to 57–62 °C, then cooled

Step 1 of 7
Warm the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
57–62 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. infantarius
S. thermophilus
Lactic acid bacteria
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 mix of 50 % sheep, 25 % goat and 25 % cow milk is warmed to 57–62 °C, cooled and set with rennet at 38–40 °C, then the curd is broken to chickpea size, pressed, cut into blocks and dry-salted. After up to 4 days of pre-ripening to pH 5.00–5.20 the blocks are packed in tins under a heated whey brine of 13–14 °Bé. Despite the tulum (skin bag) name, it ripens in sealed tins at 2–4 °C for at least 4 months. Made in 7 steps over 4.1 months. The longest step, ripen cold, takes at least 4 months (Türk Patent ve Marka Kurumu 2022) and runs at 2–4 °C (Türk Patent ve Marka Kurumu 2022). Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius, identified as the main acid producer in İzmir brined tulum and Streptococcus thermophilus, among the two most abundant species in commercial İzmir tulum and İzmir brined tulum do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 4 monthsSet[tp-1006]Ripen cold
Temperature2–4 °CSet[tp-1006]Ripen cold
AciditypH 5–5.2Set[tp-1006]Dry-salt and pre-ripen

What makes this one different

The industrial heir of the Aegean skin-bag tulum, made from a fixed sheep, goat and cow milk mix and ripened in brine in sealed tins instead of a skin. The registered method has no curd cooking.

Composition
pH 4.01–4.92, dry matter 49.92–71.85 %, fat 17.50–32.00 %, salt 1.87–5.27 %, protein 20.99–27.50 %
Salt limit
Salt at most 7.5 % of dry matter, under the Turkish Food Codex cheese communiqué
Season
Made from milk of January to June

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is only warmed to 57–62 °C, and the brine is heated to 85 °C for 15 minutes before use. The cheese ripens at least 4 months at 2–4 °C, and finished salt is capped at 7.5 % of dry matter.

History and sources

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

The registration was applied for by the İzmir Chamber of Commerce in 2010 and granted in 2022. A study notes that skin bags ran short for industrial production, so the cheese moved into brine in sealed tins; small-scale skin-bag İzmir tulum is still made.

  1. [tp-1006] Türk Patent ve Marka Kurumu, Coğrafi işaret no. 1006, İzmir Tulum Peyniri (mahreç işareti), registered 24.01.2022, applicant İzmir Ticaret Odasıspec
  2. [guley2023] Güley Z., Fallico V., Cabrera-Rubio R., O'Sullivan D., Marotta M., Pennone V., Smith S., Beresford T. 2023, Diversity of the microbiota of traditional Izmir Tulum and Izmir Brined Tulum cheeses and selection of potential probiotics, Foods 12(18):3482paper
  3. [guley2022] Güley Z., Fallico V., Cabrera-Rubio R., Cotter P.D., Beresford T. 2022, Identification of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius as the species primarily responsible for acid production in Izmir Brined Tulum Cheese from the Aegean Region of Türkiye, Food Research International 160:111707 (abstract)paper