The original Emmental cheese in Switzerland must be manufactured from raw milk. Emmental is probably the best-known Swiss-type cheese and is frequently referred to simply as ‘Swiss cheese’ in the United States, Cana, Australia and New Zealand.
Emmental cheese is a ripened hard cheese, usually manufactured as wheels and blocks of weights from 40 kg or more adapted to various use conditions.
Emmental cheese is ripened initially for 2-3 weeks at a low temperature (~12 °C), after which the temperature is increase to 20-24 °C weeks to promote the growth of propionic acid bacteria and the fermentation of lactate to propionate and acetate; the temperature is then reduce to ~4 °C.
The characteristics of Swiss Emmental are:
*Cylindrical shape
*Firm dry rind
*Weight 60-13 kg
*1000-2000 round eyes per loaf of diameter 1-6 cm, use by propionic fermentation
*Flavour – mild, slightly sweet, becoming more aromatic with increasing age
*Cheese body – ivory to light yellow, slightly elastic
Emmental cheese
