cows -MILK ROQUEFORT CHEESE. 3 



ditioiis, together with the ventilation, are favorable to mold growth 

 and to the ripening of Roquefort cheese. At Grove City, Pa., insu- 

 lated curing rooms have been constructed which are provided with 

 certain conditioning apparatus and refrigeration which make it 

 possible to approximate the conditions found in the caves of Roque- 

 fort. As the ideal conditions for making this cheese have been 

 approached, many of the discouraging aspects of the problem have 

 been eliminated. Prevention of desiccation, oversalting and under- 

 salting, proper growth of interior and exterior molds, proper flavor 

 and texture, all appear to be more or less dependent upon supplying 

 and regulating the proper curing conditions. By the use of such 

 equipment considerable cows'-milk Rocjuefort cheese of good quality 

 has been made and successfully marketed. 



COMPOSITION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ROQUEFORT. 



The literature shows a great variation in the composition of 

 Roquefort cheese. The composition as given by Duclaux is in accord 

 with that of Dox, formerly of the Dairy Division. 



Table 1. — Total composition of an excellent Roquefort cheese, according to Duclavu,^ 



Substance. 



Quantity. 



Casein 



Fat 



Salt (NaCl) 



other mineral salts . 

 Water 



Per cent. 



20.00 



35.18 



4.21 



1.77 



38.84 



1 Maturation des fromages 5, basse temperature, 190i. 

 Table 2. — Averuyc composition of ripe Roquefort, with respect to fat, water, and salt. 



Substance. 



Fat 



Water 



Salt (NaCl) 



Quantity. 



Per cent. 



20 to 3(i 



3S.5 to 41. 



3.5 to 4.5. 



Several samples of Roquefort cheese of the highest quality were 

 selected and analyzed by Dox. ^ The composition was as follows : 



Table ^. — Composition of highest quality Roquefort cheese. 



.\vorage. .. 

 Minimum. 

 Maximum. 



Water. 



Per cejU. 

 38.69 

 37.49 

 10.10 



Fat. 



Percent. 

 32.21 



31.50 

 33. .53 



Protein. 



Ash. 



Per cent. 

 21.39 

 19.14 

 23.06 



Per cent. 

 6.14 

 5.18 

 6.81 



Salt 

 (NaCl). 



Per cent. 

 4.14 

 3.64 



4.88 



* Dox, A. W., Die Zusamiuensetzung des cchten Roquefort-Kiises. lu Ztschr. t. Untersuchung. 



Nahr. u. Genussmtl., v. 22, no. 4, pp. 239-242. 1911. 



