JOURNAL OF AGRIOlTim RESEARCH 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Vo l. II Washington, D. C., April 15, 1914 No. 1 
FLAVOR OF ROQUEFORT CHEESE 
By James N. Currie, 1 
Chemist , Dairy Division, Bureau of Animal Industry 
INTRODUCTION 
Every cheese connoisseur is familiar with the peculiar peppery or 
burning effect of well-ripened Roquefort cheese on the organs of taste. 
This effect is so characteristic of this variety of cheese that its quality 
is commonly expressed in terms of its “hotness.” The purpose of this 
investigation was to identify and to explain the occurrence in the cheese 
of any substances which contribute to this particular flavor. 
WORK OF OTHER INVESTIGATORS 
Weigmann (16, p. i 87) 2 * * , without citing the source of his information, 
says: 
It has long been known that the characteristic rancid, sharp taste of French 
Roquefort, English Stilton, and Italian Gorgonzola cheeses is caused by the green 
Penicillium. This characteristic taste is first observed after the spores and spore 
bearers have formed and has therefore been ascribed to them. 
If a chemical substance which imparts to the cheese this burning 
taste were elaborated in the spores and spore bearers, the mycelium of 
the mold grown upon artificial media should show this taste in a marked 
degree at the spore-bearing stage. No taste, however, can be detected 
at any stage, except a slight bitterness. 
Jensen 8 concluded that the chief constituent of the aroma of Roque¬ 
fort cheese was the “very sharp-tasting ethyl butyrate,” but offered no 
data to show that this ester was actually present. He apparently identi¬ 
fied it only by the odor. 
Esters are so commonly known as the flavoring substances of fruits 
that it is quite natural to ascribe to them a part in the production of 
flavor in other foodstuffs. In fact, Suzuki, Hastings, and Hart (13, p. 
1 The writer takes pleasure in acknowledging his indebtedness to Dr. Charles Thom, who has kindly 
provided him with all the pure cultures of Penicillium roqueforti used in this investigation. 
2 Bibliographic citations in parentheses refer to *' Literature cited/' p. 13-14. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D, C. 
(x) 
Vol. II, No. 1 
Apr. is, 1914 
