CHEMICAL CHANGES IN RIPENING 



337 



the amount of water-soluble proteins and protein- 

 derived substances is used as a measure of the extent 

 of cheese-ripening, considered from a chemical stand- 

 point. 



The special conditions to be studied in relation 

 to their influence upon the character and extent 

 of chemical changes in cheese-ripening are the fol- 

 lowing: (i) Time, (2) temperature, (3) moisture, 

 (4) size, (5) salt, and (6) rennet-enzym. From the 

 large number of data accumulated, we can give only 

 enough, in somewhat condensed form, to serve as 

 illustrations of the general facts discussed. 



Time and cheese-ripening. — Under all normal 

 conditions that influence cheese-ripening, we find 

 that, as cheese advances in age, there is a progress- 

 ive change resulting in an increase of water-sol- 

 uble proteins and protein-derived substances. The 

 effect of time as a factor in cheese-ripening is modi- 

 fied by a variety of conditions, which will be con- 

 sidered later. For purpose of illustration, we give 

 below averages of the results obtained under the 



