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Cheese from France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Mâconnais

Raw goat milk is lightly renneted at 18–25 °C and seeded with whey, then left 18–24 hours to set into an acid, lactic curd. The uncut curd is ladled by hand into small cone-shaped moulds, drained at least 24 hours without turning and dry-salted. The little cones are aired, dried and ripened at least 10 days.

DocumentedCheese4.5 days – 4.8 daysAOP (PDO-FR-0553)Family: Lactic soft-ripened cheese family (goat/sheep/cow lactic curd)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceRennet and salt doses are fixed by the AOP specification per 100 litres of milk and per cheese weight. Each cheese weighs 80–100 g when unmoulded and 50–65 g after the minimum ripening.
Raw goat milkNo treatment except filtering and warming to 25 °C at most[mac-cdc-copy][mac-sd-2009]
Rennet (250 mg/l chymosin)10–30 ml per 100 l of milk[mac-cdc-copy]
Whey, as lactic starterListed commercial cultures are allowed only to fix temporary problems[mac-cdc-copy]
Dry salt1.5–3% of the cheese weight[mac-cdc-copy]
Starterwhey (lactosérum); listed commercial cultures only for temporary problems

Total time across the recorded steps: 4.5 days – 4.8 days

Start
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8–12 °C

What changes: The raw goat milk is kept cool, around 12 °C, then warmed for renneting

Step 1 of 8
Keep and warm the raw milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
8–12 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Geotrichum
Penicillium

Farm milk is made daily. Dairies may collect 4 milkings over at most 48 hours.

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

Raw goat milk is lightly renneted at 18–25 °C and seeded with whey, then left 18–24 hours to set into an acid, lactic curd. The uncut curd is ladled by hand into small cone-shaped moulds, drained at least 24 hours without turning and dry-salted. The little cones are aired, dried and ripened at least 10 days. Made in 8 steps over 4.5 days – 4.8 days. The longest step, air and dry, takes at least 2 days (Androuet (cheese retailer) 2008) and runs at 10–15 °C (Androuet (cheese retailer) 2008). Salt is 1.5–3 % (Androuet (cheese retailer) 2008). Lactic acid bacteria, seeded from whey and Geotrichum do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 2 daysReported[mac-cdc-copy]Air and dry
Temperature10–15 °CReported[mac-cdc-copy]Air and dry
Salt1.5–3 %Reported[mac-cdc-copy]Dry-salt
AciditypH 4.2–4.5Reported[mac-cdc-copy]Lactic curdling

What makes this one different

Its lactic curd goes uncut into small cone moulds and is never turned, so it keeps a truncated-cone shape. Traditionally it was dried more than ripened, a small cheese for the winegrowers' daily snack.

Rind
Barely formed or lightly bloomed, ivory-beige to bluish; mainly Geotrichum, with blue Penicillium spots possible
Weight
80–100 g at unmoulding; 50–65 g after 10 days (at least 30 g if ripened longer)
Composition
At least 45 g dry matter per 100 g of cheese and 45% fat in dry matter
Storage
After ripening, cold storage at 2 °C or more; freezing is banned at every stage
Farm share
Farm makers produced nearly 90% of the AOP cheese in 2020

Related ferments

Safety

Made from raw goat milk, ripened at least 10 days. The 2008 specification bans freezing of milk, curd and cheese at any stage and, after ripening, allows storage only in a cold room at 2 °C or above. The CDC advises people who are pregnant, aged 65 or over or immunocompromised to avoid any cheese made with raw milk, unless it is heated until steaming hot.

History and sources

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

Goats were kept as a sideline in the Mâconnais vineyards, often by the women of the house. An English dairy book mentioned 'The MACONNAIS' in 1885. In 2020 farm makers produced nearly 90% of the cheese.

  1. [mac-sd-2009] European Commission, Application for registration and single document 'Mâconnais', No CE FR-PDO-0005-0553-28.08.2006, Official Journal of the European Union C 308 of 18 December 2009, p. 47 (French text)spec
  2. [mac-cdc-copy] Androuet (cheese retailer), Mâconnais page reproducing the Cahier des charges de l'AOC Mâconnais, version of 4 June 2008 (a retailer's copy, not the official publication)web
  3. [eu-temp2020] European Commission, eAmbrosia register, PDO-FR-0553 'Mâconnais', communication of a temporary amendment Ares(2020)2524429 (13 May 2020)spec
  4. [cdc-listeria] CDC, Preventing Listeria infection (safer food choices; cheese made with raw milk)gov