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Fermented milk from Italy, Lombardy

Mascarpone artigianalemascherpa

Cream skimmed from milk is heated to about 90 °C and set within minutes by citric acid, then left to rest, drained in a fine cloth and chilled in moulds. It is a boundary entry, set by acid and heat, not by microbes; nothing ferments.

Fully documentedFermented milk26 h – 30 hPATFamily: Acid-heat set cheese family (FERMENTATION BOUNDARY)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedNo fixed amounts are given; the acid is added until the cream sets.
Fresh cream from centrifuged cow milk[lomb-text][capozzi2020]
Citric acidFormerly lemon juice or vinegar; acetic, tartaric or lactic acid also used[lomb-text][onaf-sheet][capozzi2020]
Starternone (acid and heat set)

Total time across the recorded steps: 26 h – 30 h

Start
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What changes: Cream is spun off the milk

Step 1 of 4
Separate the cream
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: fresh cream.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
thick cream
Colour
cream-white

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

Cream skimmed from milk is heated to about 90 °C and set within minutes by citric acid, then left to rest, drained in a fine cloth and chilled in moulds. It is a boundary entry, set by acid and heat, not by microbes; nothing ferments. Made in 4 steps over 26 h – 30 h. The longest step, drain and chill in wooden forms, takes 18 h (Mascarpone artigianale).

Key numbers
Main step18 hReported[lomb-text]Drain and chill in wooden forms
Temperature85–95 °CReported[lomb-text][capozzi2020]Heat the cream and add acid
AciditypH 5.7–6.6Reported[capozzi2020]Heat the cream and add acid

What makes this one different

Mascarpone is made from cream, not milk, and set by acid and heat, not by bacteria or rennet. Nothing ferments.

Rind
None; dense cream-white paste
Boundary
Set by citric acid and heat; not fermented

Related ferments

Variants

  • Winter-only farm mascarponeIt keeps poorly, so in the past farms made it only in winter.

Safety

In a survey of 1,017 retail mascarpone samples, 32.5 % held Clostridium botulinum spores, and the pH, water activity and redox potential of all samples were compatible with its growth and toxin formation. In separate incubation experiments on naturally and artificially contaminated mascarpone, growth occurred after 3 days and toxin after 4 days at 28 °C (Franciosa et al. 1999, abstract). The heating does not kill these spores, which WHO says can survive boiling, and no bacteria acidify it, so keep it refrigerated.

Hazards the sources name: Clostridium botulinum spores (in 32.5 % of 1,017 retail mascarpone samples).

History and sources

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

The Lombardy product description says the name probably comes from mascherpa, a Lombard dialect word for milk cream. ONAF's sheet says the product was already made in the 12th century, calls the origin of the name disputed, and repeats the story that Napoleon tasted it at Lodi in May 1796. In the past each farm kept it in glass or porcelain jars or in bundles hung in the cellar, and it was made only in winter.

  1. [lomb-text] Mascarpone artigianale, Lombardy traditional product description attributed to Regione Lombardia (ONAF-hosted copy; original not found on a government site)web
  2. [capozzi2020] Capozzi V. et al. 2020, Unveiling the molecular basis of mascarpone cheese aroma: VOCs analysis by SPME-GC/MS and PTR-ToF-MS, Molecules 25(5):1242paper
  3. [franciosa1999] Franciosa G. et al. 1999, Clostridium botulinum spores and toxin in mascarpone cheese and other milk products, Journal of Food Protection 62:867–871 (abstract)paper
  4. [onaf-sheet] ONAF, Mascarpone artigianale cheese sheetweb
  5. [who-botulism] WHO, Botulism fact sheetgov