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Cheese from Brazil, Minas Gerais

Queijo Minas Artesanal do Campo das Vertentes

Raw whole cow milk is worked within 90 minutes of milking, seeded with pingo and set with rennet. The curd is cut, pressed into moulds by hand, dry-salted and ripened at room temperature for three weeks to a month. The finished cheese has a pH of about 5.0–5.3 and 2.4–2.83% salt, and its taste strengthens with longer ripening.

Fully documentedCheese22 daysQMA microregion (IMA Portaria 1022 of 3 November 2009)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe state standard fixes ingredients and steps, not amounts; additives are banned. Cheeses weigh 700–1,000 g.
Raw whole cow milk from the farm's own herd, not heat-treated[rtiq2303]
Pingo (fermented whey used as natural starter)[rtiq2303][penna2021]
Rennet registered with the authorities[rtiq2303]
Salt[rtiq2303]
Starterpingo, whey collected during salting of the previous batch

Total time across the recorded steps: 22 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Fresh raw milk is filtered into the vat soon after milking

Step 1 of 8
Milk and filter
Time
up to 1.5 h
Set
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactococcus
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 whole cow milk is worked within 90 minutes of milking, seeded with pingo and set with rennet. The curd is cut, pressed into moulds by hand, dry-salted and ripened at room temperature for three weeks to a month. The finished cheese has a pH of about 5.0–5.3 and 2.4–2.83% salt, and its taste strengthens with longer ripening. Made in 8 steps over 22 days. The longest step, ripen, takes at least 22 days (Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA) 2013) and runs at at least 12 °C (Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA) 2024). Salt is 2.4–2.8 % (Penna A.L.B 2021). Lactococcus, the most abundant genus in Campo das Vertentes cheese does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 22 daysSet[ima1305][penna2021]Ripen
Temperatureat least 12 °CSet[rtiq2303]Ripen
Salt2.4–2.8 %Reported[penna2021]Ripen
AciditypH 5–5.3Reported[penna2021]Ripen

What makes this one different

The Minas raw-milk cheese of the Campo das Vertentes microregion around São João del-Rei, recognised by the state in 2009. Its paste may show irregular holes, and its taste is enhanced by about 90 days of ripening.

Size
Cylinder 15–20 cm across, height variable; 700–1,000 g
Composition
Registered dairies averaged pH 5.15, 2.61% chlorides and 35.84% moisture (Moreno 2013, as tabled by Resende)

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is raw. The state standard requires processing within 90 minutes of milking, a set minimum ripening, moisture of at most 45.9%, and no Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes in 25 g. A 2014 study found buyers prefer 10-day cheeses, and its author urges buying cheese ripened 20 days or more.

Hazards the sources name: Coagulase-positive staphylococci, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, limited by the state standard (Salmonella and Listeria absent in 25 g).

History and sources

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

Portuguese settlers began making the cheese in the area in the 18th century. The state recognised the microregion in 2009, the fifth Minas region to be named.

  1. [rtiq2303] Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA), Portaria IMA nº 2303 of 20 May 2024, technical regulation of identity and quality of Queijo Minas Artesanal (DOE-MG 21/05/2024, annex republished 30/05/2024), text as reproduced by LegisWebspec
  2. [ima1305] Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA), Portaria IMA nº 1305 of 30 April 2013, art. 2 as worded by Portaria 1736/2017 (revoked by Portaria 1969/2020), text as reproduced by LegisWebspec
  3. [penna2021] Penna A.L.B., Gigante M.L., Todorov S.D. 2021, Artisanal Brazilian Cheeses, History, Marketing, Technological and Microbiological Aspects, Foods 10(7):1562paper
  4. [resende2014] Resende E.C. 2014, Aspectos sensoriais e microbiológicos do queijo Minas artesanal da microrregião Campo das Vertentes, MSc dissertation, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Forapaper