CHEMICAL CHANGES IN RIPENING 349 



different conditions affect the chemical changes in 

 the protein compounds of cheese as follows : 



(i) Time. — The formation of water-soluble pro- 

 tein-derived compounds increases as cheese ages, 

 other conditions being uniform. The rate of increase 

 is, however, not uniform, since it is much more rapid 

 in the early than in the succeeding stages of ripen- 

 ing. 



(2) Temperature. — The amount of soluble pro- 

 tein-derived compounds increases, on an average, quite 

 closely in proportion to increase of temperature, when 

 other conditions are uniform. 



(3) Moisture. — Other conditions being alike, 

 there is formed a larger amount of water-soluble 

 protein-derived compounds in cheese containing 

 more moisture than in cheese containing less mois- 

 ture. 



(4) Size. — Cheeses of large size usually form 

 water-soluble compounds more rapidly than smaller 

 cheeses under the same conditions, because large 

 cheeses lose their moisture less rapidly and after 

 the early period of ripening have a higher water 

 content. 



(5) Salt. — Cheese containing more salt forms 

 water-soluble compounds more slowly than cheese 

 containing less salt. This appears to be due, in 

 part, to the direct action of salt in retarding the 

 activity of one or more of the ripening agents and, 

 in part, to the tendency of the salt to reduce the 

 moisture content of the cheese. 



(6) Rennet. — The use of increased amounts of 

 rennet-extract in cheese-making, other conditions 

 being uniform, results in producing increased 



