Port Salut cheese
also called Trappist Cheese,

semisoft cow’s-milk cheese first made by Trappist monks on the west coast of France in the mid-1800s. The name later became the registered trademark of the Société Anonyme des Fermiers Réunis for Saint-Paulin, a generic cheese type similar to the original Port Salut, with a mild, savoury flavour and a smooth, semisoft texture.

Port Salut is produced in thick disks of about 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter, weighing about 5 pounds (2.3 kg). It keeps well for several weeks or longer if securely wrapped. Port Salut is widely imitated; American versions tend to be milder, and those from Denmark are generally stronger than the French. Oka cheese, first made at a Trappist monastery at the village of Oka in Quebec, is a popular Canadian version.

Process guidelines for Saint Paulin

Raw material raw milk

Standardization to 2.9 – 3.5 % fat depending on the protein content

Heating 72 – 75 C (162 – 167 F) for 16 – 30 sec.

Cooling to renneting temperature: 35 – 37 ºC. (95 – 99 F)

Inoculation 1 x Choozit  TA 60 LYO 200 DCU per 4000 l. vat milk
+ 1 x Choozit Alp LYO 100 DCU per 2000 l vat milk

coloring 33 – 55 ml beta carotene per 1000 l

Preripening 30 – 40 min.

Renneting 2 – 3 gr. pure calf rennet powder (Renco)

Coagulation setting time: 11 – 20 min
Coagulation time : 30 – 40 min.

Cutting curd grain diameter: green pea to hazelnut size

Stirring 20 min.

Separating draw of whey, approx. 30 %

Washing and pH before washing : 6.40 – 6.45

Scalding (cooking) addition of water: 10 – 15 %, approx. 60 ºC.
Scalding : to 37 – 39 º C, within 11 – 20 min.

Forming under whey

Pressing depending on equipment, e.g. 15 min. 0.3 – 0.6 bar
( 1 bar approx. 14 lb.)

Brining pH before brine bath : 5.4 +- 0.2
16 - 18 ?Be, 16 – 18 ºC.
salting time : 24 – 54 h. depending on weight
pH after brine bath : 5.2 +– 0.1

Dry off on shelves
Rel. humidity : 90 – 95 ºC
Temp. 15 – 16 ºC. (59 – 61 F)
Time: 20 hours

Smearing 1 x Choozit linens W LYO Doses 1
+ 500 g. salt for 10 l. boiled water.
Dipping or spraying red smear solution (liquid culture in 5 volumes of 3 % NaCl solution), during initial ripening smearing must be repeated 1st, 3rd, 7th and 10th day
.
Ripening during period of smearing.
Temp. 15 – 16 º C, 90 – 95 % RH.

Brushing brush off any surface growth under a stream of floating water on 12th – 15th day

Ripening re. humidity: 70 %
Temp. 15 – 16 ºC.

Packaging on 16th day
Special foil for eye formation
Or coating with paraffin-wax,
Alternatively spray annatto color mixture on dry rind

Curing at 5 º C ( 41 F) for 2 – 3 weeks