Soft-ripened · Mesophilic
Cheese Culture for Camembert
If you can make brie, you can make camembert: same mesophilic starter, same PC + Geo rind cultures. Camembert's smaller, taller wheels ripen more deeply and run sooner. One culture purchase covers both cheeses.
Brie ripening on the shelf. Photo: Wikimedia Commons — see credits.
At a glance
| Family | Soft-ripened · Mesophilic |
| Primary culture | MM 100 or Flora Danica |
| Adjuncts | Penicillium candidum + Geotrichum candidum |
| Temperature logic | Ripen around 84–90°F; mesophilic make, mould-ripened |
| pH notes | As brie: surface pH rises sharply during ripening |
| Ageing | Small wheels ripen faster than brie — often ready in 3–5 weeks |
The shopping list
Primary culture
Choozit MM 100 Mesophilic Culture
$14.95
New England Cheesemaking · checked October 23, 2026
Also needed
Penicillium candidum SAM3 — White Mould Culture
$9.95
New England Cheesemaking · checked October 23, 2026
Also needed
Geotrichum candidum — Rind Culture
$9.95
New England Cheesemaking · checked October 23, 2026
The make, in short
Ripen around 84–90°F; mesophilic make, mould-ripened. Small wheels ripen faster than brie — often ready in 3–5 weeks.
The one pitfall
Treating camembert as a different culture purchase. It is the same stack, a different mold (the form, not the fungus).
Making a different cheese next?
The Culture Finder covers 27 cheeses and cultured staples — starter, adjuncts, temperature logic and pH gates for each.