1,000 Years of Artisanal Cheesmaking

Nutritional Information

Comté not only delights the palates of gourmands. It is also a healthy, natural food whose nutritional contents are useful in maintaining a balanced diet.

Comté is rich in protein and has a wide variety of amino acids. In fact, it contains all of the “essential” amino acids, which are not produced by humans in sufficient quantities but which are vital for cell construction, for proper functioning of the immune system and for proper healing of body tissue. Scientists have discovered that the quantity of amino acids in cheese increases during the maturing process. Comté is a long-matured cheese, and, in fact, this concentration of amino acids is directly related to its rich flavor . In older Comté, you can sometimes see small white crystals which look like salt, but which are actually the crystallization of the amino acid Tyrosine. Other amino acids, including Proline, Alanine, Glycine, Serine and Threonine, give the sensation of sweetness, while some others emphasize salty flavors.

Comté is also rich in vitamins A, B2, B12 and D.

Comté - naturally good

Rich in calcium…and low in salt.

Comté is rich in calcium. 1 oz. (30 g) of Comté contains 298 mg of calcium, representing one-third of our daily recommended value. In addition, Comté’s high calcium/phosphorous ratio (1:4) provides a balanced mineral intake necessary for growth. For this reason, Comté is often recommend in France for children, pregnant women and the elderly, for whom this high ratio of calcium/phosphorous helps to prevent osteoporosis.

Despite the impression of saltiness when tasted, Comté is actually a cheese with very little salt. While most cheeses contain between 1.5 to 2 g of salt per 100 g of cheese, Comté has only .8 g of salt per 100 g of cheese (i.e. 0.8%), making it one of the least salty cheeses. This is somewhat paradoxical, as salt is necessary for Comté production. During its long maturing period, Comté is continuously rubbed with salt to assist in the formation of the rind. However, very little of this salt is absorbed into the cheese. (The salt flavor is emphasized by certain
amino acids.)