Dairy Foods: Natural cheese and butter

Twenty six 3.8 kg blocks were made on each of 3 different days. A block was analyzed prior to brine salting. Blocks (5) were placed into each of 5 different saturated brines at 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24◦C. One block was removed from each brine tank after 1, 4, 8, 16, and 24 d, weighed, sampled, and analyzed for salt and moisture. Weight loss (net of moisture loss and salt uptake), salt uptake, and moisture loss after 24 d increased with increasing brine temperature. Cheese porosity and viscosity of the water phase within the pores influence the rate and extent of salt uptake during 24 d of brining. Previously, lower brine concentration (18 vs 24%) achieved higher surface porosity and faster salt uptake. In the present study, moisture loss occurred from all cheeses at all temperatures, mostly during the first 4 d. Moisture loss decreases surface porosity of the block and forms a barrier to salt penetration. Moisture loss increased with increasing temperature and this decreased surface porosity. If decreased porosity was the only factor influencing salt uptake at various brine temperatures, then the cheeses at higher temperature should have had lower salt content. However, the opposite was true (2.91, 3.05, and 3.36% salt after 24 d of brining at 12, 18, and 24◦C, respectively). Brine temperature also influences the viscosity of the aqueous phase of the cheese. The water phase of cheese in lower temperature brine would have higher viscosity and slower salt uptake, even though the cheese at lower brine temperature would have a more porous structure (favoring faster salt uptake) than cheese at higher brine temperature. Therefore, reducing brine concentration at 18◦C increased salt uptake by increasing cheese porosity, while decreasing brine temperature decreased salt uptake due to increased viscosity of the water phase of the cheese. Faster salt uptake and lower temperature will help control early gas development.