Cheese ripening the cheese by fungi to occur. Mould-ripened cheeses ripen faster than hard cheeses, in weeks as opposed to the typical months or even years. This is because the fungi used are more biochemically active than the starter bacteria. Where the ripening occurs is largely dependent on the type of cheese: some cheeses are surface-ripened by moulds, such as Camembert and Brie; and some are ripened internally, such as Stilton. Surface ripening of some cheeses, such as Saint-Nectaire cheese, may also be influenced by yeasts which contribute flavour and coat texture. Others are allowed by the cheesemaker to develop bacterial surface
Cheeses of Mexico eighth for consumption. Grouped with Argentina and Brazil, Mexico is part of a region which is third in cheese production, behind Europe and the US. Cheese sales in Mexico were 218,000 tons in 2003, with fresh (not aged) cheeses making up over one-third of the market, the largest segment. Only 126,200 tons of the cheese consumed in the country that year were produced domestically, with the rest imported. About 10% of the milk production in the country is dedicated to the making of dairy products, most of which is cheese. The overwhelming majority of cheese is made with cows’ milk.