SODIUM-CHLORIDE AND MAGNESIUM-CHLORIDE AFFECTED BY RIPENING OF CAMEMBERT CHEESE

Ripening of cheese with three kinds of salt treatment was studied usin g MgCl2, NaCl or a mixture of the two. Proteolysis was followed by det ermination of TCA-soluble nitrogen and quantitative electrophoresis. A rapid one-step method for free fatty acids was used to determine shor t and long-chain fatty acids. In the presence of magnesium, proteolysi s increased, even with NaCl, which seemed to delay the magnesium activ ation. Lipolysis was retarded by NaCl, which decreased the level of fr ee fatty acids. An imbalance between proteolysis and lipolysis could b e responsible for the unpleasant flavor of the cheese containing both MgCl2 and NaCl.