42 BULLETIN 608, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
crust is removed, and the interior is crumbled dried, ground very fine, and sifted 
The cheese is not subjected to pressure. It is turned usually one hour after put- 
ting into hoops and is not wrapped in cloths. 
Formerly the manufacture of the cheese up to this stage was carried on by 
the shepherds themselves, but in recent years centralized factories have been 
established, and much of the milk is collected and there made into cheese. The 
cheese is then taken to the caves. These are for the most part natural caverns 
which exist in large numbers in the region of Roquefort. The temperature in 
these caves is 40° to 45° F., and the air circulates very freely through them. 
Recently artificial caves have been constructed and used. When the cheeses 
reach the caves they are salted, which serves to check the growth of the mold 
on the surface. One or two days later they are rubbed vigorously with a cloth 
and are afterward subjected to thorough scraping with knives, a process for- 
merly done by hand, but now performed much more satisfactorily and economi- 
ically by machinery. The salting, scraping, or brushing seems to check the 
development of mold on the surface. In order to favor the growth of mold in 
the interior, the cheese is pierced by machinery with from 20 to 60 small needles, 
which process permits the free access of air. The cheese may be sold after from 
30 to 40 days or may remain in the caves as long as five months, depending upon 
the degree of ripening desired. During the process of ripening by scraping and 
evaporation the cheese loses from 16 to 20 per cent of the original weight. When 
ripened, it weighs 4^ or 5 pounds. 
ROQUEFORT (COWS' MILK) 
Cows' milk Roquefort cheese has been made on a commercial scale since 1918. 
Early attempts to manufacture this cheese resulted in repeated failures, pri- 
marily because the cheese dessicated too much during curing. The use of tin foil 
and careful regulation of curing conditions are essential in the proper curing of 
the cheese. A high relative humidity must be maintained during curing, and the 
cheese must be dessicated somewhat before it is subjected to the final ripening in 
the foil. Direct expansion coils in the curing rooms are helpful for this purpose. 
The color of the cheese is somewhat more yellow than that made from sheep's 
milk. In order partly to correct this difference in color, it is often desirable to 
use winter milk instead of summer milk. 
Following are directions for the manufacture of cows' milk Roquefort cheese: 
Fresh, clean milk is essential. Three or four per cent of a starter is used and 
the milk brought to an acidity 'of .20 to .23 per cent before setting. 
The milk is warmed to from 83° to 85° F. and set with rennet at the rate of 3 
to 4 ounces per 1,000 pounds of milk. 
The milk is allowed to set for from one to one and one-half hours and the curd 
is then cut into small pieces with a ^g-inch curd knife. 
Ten minutes after cutting, the curd is scooped on a draining rack and allowed 
to drain for about 20 minutes. 
As the curd is placed in the forms it is sprinkled three or four times with the 
mold powder. 
The cheese is turned three or four times the first day and at least twice a day 
thereafter until salted. The temperature of the drain room should be from 65° 
to 68° F., with a relative humidity of 85° to 90°. 
The cheeses in the drain room are washed every day for four or five days, after 
which they are salted in a special room in which a temperature of 4S° F. and a 
relative humidity of between 80° and 90° are maintained. The salting process 
requires a week or 10 days. A special conditioning apparatus is necessary to 
maintain the proper temperature, humidity, and ventilation. Ihe cheeses are 
then pierced 30 or 40 times and placed on the shelves, where they rest on their 
edges instead of on their flat sides as previously. 
By means of refrigeration and a special conditioning apparatus the cheeses 
are ripened at a temperature of from 45° to 50° F.. with very little ventilation. 
During the salting period and while the cheeses are wrapped in foil the air should 
be cold and dry. 
The cheeses are ripened for two or three months; during this period they are 
scraped ever}- three or four weeks, with an aggregate loss of from 7 to S per cent. 
After ripening, the cheeses are wrapped in foil and held for at least one or two addi- 
tional months. 
With 4 per cent milk the yield of cheese should be 10 or 11 pounds per 100 
pounds of milk. 
When cured the cheeses are wrapped in parchment-lined tin foil packed in 
excelsior and shipped 12 in a box. 
