250 Report of the Chemical Department of the 



ble nitrogen compounds is more rapid in the early stages of ripen- 

 ing, steadily diminishing with age; (c) about two-thirds of these 

 compounds are formed in the first 3 months and over 90 per ct. in 

 the first 9 months. 



THE RELATION OF TEMPERATURE TO THE 

 CHEESE-RIPENING PROCESS. 



Instead of presenting all of our detailed results, representing 

 all the different conditions of experiment, we will give, as a basis 

 for our discussion of this topic, averages in which each analysis 

 embodies the analytical results furnished by four different 

 cheeses cured at the same given temperature. If a more detailed 

 study is desired, the full tables in the Appendix can be examined. 

 In general, we find in every individual cheese that temperature 

 exerts a marked influence upon the changes taking place in the 

 nitrogen compounds. The efifect of temperature is modified by 

 other conditions. In the following table, we consider, along with 

 the temperature, the time factor. In this connection, we will men- 

 tion a fact not included in the table, — in the cheese kept at 32° F. 

 we found in the filtrate after removing paranuclein that, on neu- 

 tralizing and heating, we obtained quite an abundant precipitate, 

 amounting to 3 or 4 per ct. of the nitrogen in the cheese. This 

 body disappeared entirely after 3 months and was not found at all 

 in cheese kept at a higher temperature. We have not yet studied 

 the nature of this substance, but it appears to be some kind of an 

 intermediate product that disappears very quickly at ordinary 

 temperatures and is to be found in appreciable quantities only in 

 cheese kept at low temperatures. 



Table II. — Showing Effect of Temperature on Cheese-Ripening. 



