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Biochemical Aspects of Cheese Ripening

Department of Dairy Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus

ABSTRACT

The cheese ripening process results from the changes that occur during the storage of cheese that alter it from a bland, hard, rubbery mass to a smooth-bodied and full-flavored product. Cheese ripening is a complex system that involves numerous chemical, physical, and bacteriological changes, which are controlled by altering several environmental factors.

The history of cheese ripening is obscured in antiquity, but for each given cheese variety the curing practices have been handed down from generation to generation. Each cheesemaker knows how to treat his product to obtain a recognized cheese of the variety he desires, although he often is puzzled by the unwanted changes that frequently occur.

Type of Microorganisms Important

The ultimate quality of any given cheese depends upon both careful manufacture and proper ripening. The manufacturing procedure determines the future of the cheese by establishing the proper physical and chemical conditions under which ripening will proceed. The type of microorganisms, either in the milk or starter or added to the cheese; manufacturing methods; the general curing room practices; and the curing temperature and humidity are variable factors that combine to determine the cheese variety and the quality of the cheese within its recognized variety.