Brie cheese production

Brie, a cheese that is surface ripened by mold, is very similar to Camembert. Differences exist, however, in the internal ripening and in the characteristic flavour and aroma of the cheeses. Brie is typically made in a larger wheel (12-14 inches across and 1 inch thick) while Camembert is usually 4 inches across and slightly thicker.

Brie cheese is made from cow's milk containing spores of the white mold. The traditional manufacture of Brie cheese involved initially warming the milk to 32 °C and then adding coagulating enzyme to initiate curd development within 2–3 h.

The curd is deposited into open-ended molds with holes on the sides to facilitate whey drainage. Whey is let to drain for a few hours. The curd settles to form cheese disks, which are ripened at 15 °C and 85% humidity.

Frequently, the white mold spores are sprayed on the disks of cheese at the start of ripening period. Initial ripening for about 8 days occurs in a well-ventilated drying room maintained at 13 -16 °C. During this time, the curd softens rapidly and becomes slightly yellow and translucent in color, and a felt-like layer of white mold appears on the surface.

In about 2–3 weeks, white mold grows all over the surface of cheese. Strict sanitary measures are necessary to avoid the growth of contaminants and to preserve the white appearance of Brie cheese.

After 2 weeks, cheese is wrapped in cheese paper, wax paper or butcher paper and aged at 50 °C for 2- 4 more weeks depending on the size of the wheel and ripeness wanted.
Brie cheese production

Brie cheese

Among the specialty cheese receiving high consumer interest are the mold surface-ripened cheese, Brie and Camembert. Both Brie and Camembert cheese are currently manufactured with Penicillium caseicolum.

Brie is a soft surface ripened, primarily white mould ripened cheese in conformity with the General Standard for Cheese, which has a shape of a flat cylinder or sectors thereof.

The body has a near white through to light yellow colour and a soft-textured (when thumbs-pressed), but not crumbly texture, ripened from the surface to the center of the cheese. Gas holes are generally absent, but few openings and splits are acceptable.

Because fungal growth and activity occurs primarily near the surface, brie had distinct inner cores and external rinds. For Brie ready for consumption, the ripening procedure to develop flavour and body characteristics is normally from 10 days at 10–16 °C depending on the extent of maturity required.

Brie also had a slightly nutty and a cooked milk note that was found in only two other cheeses. Brie was more bitter and more pungent than most cheeses. It exhibited very slight animalic and goaty attributes, as well, and was in the group of cheeses with low scores for attributes such as sour, salty, and sharp.

The specific terms “Brie de Meaux”, and "Brie de Melun" are controlled French designation of origination ("Appellation d'origine contrôlée") that indicate both the place of production and the specific process used.
Brie cheese