SEMI- HARD CHEESES 155 



culture in ordinary loaves of bread. For this purpose 

 loaves hot from the oven are quickly drenched with or 

 immersed in hot paraffine to form an impervious crust 

 to retain moisture as well as to keep out contaminations. 

 It is then allowed to cool. The interior of each loaf is 

 inoculated by drawing a suspension of P. Roqueforti 

 spores in water into a sterile pipette (10 c.c.) which is 

 then thrust through the paraffined crust to the center of 

 the loaf of bread and allowed to empty there. The hole 

 is sealed up with paraffine. These loaves are incubated 

 for about a month at room temperature. When cut, 

 every open space should be found lined with the green 

 spores of the mold. When dry enough, the mass may be 

 powdered, and put into an ordinary pepper box. When 

 the curd is ready to go into the hoop, this mold powder 

 is sprinkled upon it from the pepper box. 



Handling. Freshly made cheeses are turned within 

 the first hour to insure the proper smoothness of both 

 sides. Further draining is best accomplished in a room 

 at about 64 F. with a relative humidity of 85 to 90 per 

 cent. If the surface of the cheese becomes too dry, a rind 

 is formed. No real rind is permitted on Roquefort. 

 If the temperature is too high, slime forms quickly and 

 unfavorable fermentation may occur. Slime (bacteria and 

 Oidium lactis usually) must be scraped when it becomes 

 too heavy. 



Salting. 1 Experimental cheeses were found to give 

 the best results when at the end of about three days' 

 drainage they contained about 50 per cent water. Such 

 cheeses were salted by sprinkling the entire surface 

 lightly, replaced upon the drain boards for one day, 



1 Thorn, C., The salt factor in the mold ripened cheeses, 

 Storrs Exp. Sta. Bui. 79, pages 387-394, 1914. 



