Acceleration of cheese ripening: Current technologies, potential use of high pressure

Ripening of cheese, hard varieties in particular, can be a long and costly process. Much research interest has focused on methods to accelerate ripeni ng either by manipulation of the cheese manufacture or ripening procedures. Recent reports have indicated that the application of high pressure (HP) c an have a dramatic effect on the rate at which some cheese types ripen. Thi s review will examine the current approaches for accelerated ripening of ch eese and report on recent developments in the application of HP in this are a.