Separation of Curd - The coagulum is heated to 37°C and cooled. This eliminates the remaining rennet activity and separates, to some extent the watery fluid called whey.

The curd is separated from whey, salted, and mixed with proteases and or lipases; alternatively, bricks of cheese may be inoculated with specific strains of fungi, e.g., Penicillium roquefortii, P. camembertii, etc. The bricks are pressed to remove excess moisture to enable proper ripening.