Publication of an application for registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2022/C 444/10)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within three months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Sörmlands Ädel’

EU No: PGI-SE-02629 – 1.9.2020

PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1. Name(s)

‘Sörmlands Ädel’

2. Member State or Third Country

Sweden

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Product type

Class 1.3. Cheeses

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in 1 applies

‘Sörmlands Ädel’ is a soft, mature blue-veined cheese[1] made from low-pasteurised organic whole cow’s milk.

Cheeses with the protected indication ‘Sörmlands Ädel’ meet the following requirements:

Physical properties:

Shape: The cheese is cylindrical with a diameter of 19–21 cm and a height of 10–12 cm.

Weight: 2,8–3,0 kg

Ripening period: 5–12 months

Chemical characteristics:

Moisture content: 45–48 %

Dry matter content: 52–55 %

Salt content: 2 %

Fat content: 32–34 % (58–65 % of dry matter)

Protein: 21–23 % (38–44 % of dry matter)

Organoleptic characteristics

Appearance: Surface: Flowery. The top and bottom of the cheese are warm yellow with walnut brown and dark grey nuances. The edge is walnut brown with dark grey and warm yellow nuances.

Cut surface: Homogeneous yellow (NCS S1010-Y) with bluish-green mould (NCS S5020-B30G).

Consistency: Soft/semi-soft, elastic consistency.

Aroma: A basic aroma of tempered sour cream butter, damp cellar with notes of mushroom and truffle and mild notes of orange flesh and bitter orange.

Flavour: Wide, round, creamy and complex. Flavourful without being sharp or acidic. Acidic notes with saltiness and umami as well as notes of cellar, stable and caramel. The flavour intensifies during ripening.

Finish: Long and full aftertaste that fills the entire mouth. Umami, butter, balanced saltiness and acidity.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, full and round with pleasant saltiness and slight but pleasant graininess.

‘Sörmlands Ädel’ belongs to the category of acidic blue-veined cheeses (bleu acid). It has a complex flavour and aroma that create an overall harmonious experience. ‘Sörmlands Ädel’ is flavourful and has a long, pleasant aftertaste without the bitterness found in other ripened blue-veined cheeses of the bleu acid type.

Raw materials: Organic whole milk from cows of the Swedish Red and White (Svensk röd och vit boskap, SRB), Swedish Friesian (Svensk låglandsboskap, SLB) and Swedish Polled (Svensk kullig boskap, SKB) breeds. The cows are milked 2–3 times a day. The milk is chilled until it is used at the cheese dairy. The milk must not be more than 72 hours old. The milk’s fat and protein contents vary between 4,3 % and 4,6 % and 3,5 % and 3,7 %, respectively, depending on the season (grazing or feeding with a feed mix) and the breed composition of the herd.

Other additives: Cooking salt (NaCl), mesophilic starter cultures (Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus cremoris, Lactobacillus diacetylactis, Leuconostoc cremoris and Streptococcus thermophilus), natural rennet and blue mould culture (Penicillium roqueforti).

[1] Under Codex Standard 283–1978

3.3. Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

The cows’ diet is composed of organically produced feed. During the summer period, from May to September, the cows are kept outdoors and graze on grass from meadowland. During the period when the pastures produce too little grass to provide sufficient feed, the cows may be fed an organic feed mix consisting of silage, straw, cereals (barley (Hordeum vulgare), oats (Avena sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum)), fodder beans (Vicia faba), minerals, salt and lime.

3.4. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

The production of ‘Sörmlands Ädel’ must take place in the area defined in point 4 and comprises the following steps: The cows are milked and the milk is low-pasteurised and mixed with lactic acid bacteria and blue mould culture. The curd is cut and moulded. The cheeses are pressed, turned regularly and salted.

The growth of blue mould is stimulated by making openings in the cheeses. The cheeses are then wrapped and left to ripen.

3.5. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

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3.6. Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

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4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The production area for ‘Sörmlands Ädel’ covers the province of Södermanland.

5. Link with the geographical area

The link is based on the specific characteristics of ‘Sörmlands Ädel’, which are mainly attributable to its geographical origin.

Thanks to the milk from three specific breeds and the know-how developed in the geographical area, ‘Sörmlands Ädel’ has acquired the following specificities: an aroma of sour cream butter and damp cellar and a round, creamy and complex flavour with some acidic notes as well as notes of cellar, stable and caramel. The cheese is also flavourful with a long, pleasant aftertaste without the bitterness found in other ripened blue-veined cheeses of the bleu acid type.

‘Sörmlands Ädel’ is made with a mixture of two different strains of P. roqueforti, a production method that is unique to ‘Sörmlands Ädel’ and endows the cheese with a wide and complex flavour spectrum.

The characteristics of ‘Sörmlands Ädel’ depend on the cheesemaker’s experience and ability to adapt the cheesemaking process by relying on his or her sense of sight, taste and touch, for example to seasonal variations in the milk’s fat and protein content. This is done by varying the time and temperature during the different production stages of ‘Sörmlands Ädel’.

When the cheese is moulded, the cheesemaker determines when the curd has the right texture, particle size and moisture content for the blue mould and lactic acid bacteria to have the growth conditions necessary to produce the enzymic activity required for breaking down the milk fat and consequently for developing the organoleptic characteristics of ‘Sörmlands Ädel’.

In order to stimulate the growth of the blue mould during the ripening process, openings are made in the cheese so that oxygen can penetrate the cheese and carbon dioxide can be released. The cheesemaker regulates the rate of growth of the blue mould by, on the one hand, reducing gas exchange by placing the cheese in a special film and, on the other, lowering the cheese’s ripening temperature.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://www.livsmedelsverket.se/globalassets/produktion-handel-kontroll/livsmedelsinformation-markning-halsopastaenden/skyddade-beteckningar/produktbeskrivning-sormlands-adel-2021-06-13.pdf

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.