Journal · Lactose & gluten
Short answer: most of the lactose leaves with the whey or is transformed during making and long ageing, so aged Roquefort contains very little. Tolerance remains individual.
In short
This article is not medical advice. With severe intolerance, milk-protein allergy or coeliac disease, your doctor or dietitian comes first.
We publish no lactose or gluten figures.
Chapter I
Three notions are often mixed up.
Lactose is milk’s natural sugar, digested by the lactase enzyme. Intolerance is largely a matter of dose.
Allergy involves the immune system and milk proteins, which Roquefort contains: it must then be avoided.
Chapter II
Fresh daily milk from our 13 partner farms, worked by hand: three steps reduce the lactose.
Lactose is water-soluble and largely drains away with the whey.
Lactic ferments turn remaining lactose into lactic acid. Read about Penicillium roqueforti.
Ageing in the Combalou cellars consumes most residual lactose. See ageing time.
Aged Roquefort contains very little lactose. We give no figure.
Cellar time is not only about taste: it changes the cheese’s very composition.
Chapter III
Ewe’s milk is not lactose-free.
It is richer in fat and protein, but making and ageing matter more. Compare [[Roquefort vs bleu d’Auvergne|roquefort-vs-bleu-d-auvergne]] and see our [[nutrition guide|blog/calories-roquefort]].
Chapter IV
Raw or pasteurised, starting lactose is the same; making and ageing reduce it.
Pasteurised cheese is not better for the intolerant.
Pasteurisation targets germs, not sugar. On raw milk, see Roquefort and pregnancy.
Chapter V
A few common-sense habits help.
Start small and adjust.
During a meal, at the end, with bread.
Avoid cream sauces; prefer raw Roquefort in a Roquefort salad or on a pear.
Chapter VI
The ingredients contain no gluten a priori, but Penicillium is traditionally grown on bread.
We grow our “Amandine” and “Maxime” strains on bread; we do not claim “gluten-free”. See our Penicillium.
Ask the producer and your doctor or dietitian before eating Roquefort.
FAQ
01.
Very little, after draining, fermentation and long ageing.
02.
Often in moderate portions; tolerance varies. Avoid it with milk-protein allergy.
03.
It cannot be stated generally; making, ageing and portion matter.
04.
Our Penicillium is grown on bread; we do not claim gluten-free. Ask us and your doctor.
05.
Long-aged, well-drained cheeses generally contain less than fresh cheeses.
06.
No; pasteurisation does not affect lactose, and Roquefort is always raw-milk.
Time, our best ally
Since 1927, three generations, fresh milk from 13 farms and patient ageing in the Combalou cellars.
Discover our raw ewe’s milk Roquefort, then our Convoitise and Élégance ranges.
Further reading
Our reference page on roquefort lactose completes this guide.
