358 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



RIPENING OF CAMEMBERT CHEESE. 



(Geneva Exp. Sta. Technical Bnl. No. 5 (1907.)) 



Age. Water soluble nitrogen. 



1 day 11.72% of total nitrogen. 



3 days 15.02% " " 



5 " lG.027o " " " 



" 19.78% '' " 



7 " 18.51% " '' " 



10 " 25.98% " " " 



11 " 25.68% " '' " 



12 '' 23.79% " " " 



14 " 56.51% " " " 



18 " 60.69% " " " 



19 " 60.00% " " " 



20 " 63.79% " " " 



21 " 67.55% " " " 



28 " 80.88% " " " 



The main factor in this ripening is not a bacterium, but a Penicillium, 

 the sjiores of which are scattered upon the surface of the che'ese when 

 it is one or tAvo days old. ''These germinate and grow, producing a 

 white, velvety mass on the cheese which turns a dirty green about the 

 tenth or twelfth day, due to the ripening of the spores." With the 

 ripening of the spores the mold has reached nearly the limit of its 

 growth ; the point of inflection of our curve at the 13th day agrees very 

 nicely with this fact. 



The ripening of the cheddar cheese is, according to Figure 9, an en- 

 tirely different process. There is no distinct increase of the angle of 

 elevation, it seems rather like an enzymic curve; we may also compare it 

 with the camembert curve from its thirteenth day, or still more ac- 

 curately with the slow action of the galactase in milk. (Figure 3). 



RIPENING OF CHEDDAR CHEESE. 



(Geneva Exp. Sta. Technical Bui. No. 4 (1907)). 



Age. Water soluble nitrogen in per cent of total nitrogen. 



Fresh 4.68% 3.27% 3.77% 



2 days 7.73% 4.19% 4.75% 



4 days 9.11% 7.25% 5.87% 



7 days 11.02% 9.42% 8.26% 



14 days 18.60% 16.01% 10.16% 



1 month 19.58% 16.84% 



2 months 28.68% 29.21% 23.21% 



3 months 25.34% 



4 months 34.39% 31.16% 24.31% 



5 months 31.53% 



6 months 43.22% 34.34% 



The nature of the ripening process of cheddar cheese has not been 

 discovered yet. It may be bacterial or enzymic action, or both. (The 



