SOFT CHEESES RIPENED BY BACTERIA 143 



in this period to obtain a uniform expulsion of whey. 

 In about twenty-four hours the cheeses are ready to be 

 salted. This is done by applying the salt to the outside 

 of the cheese. The edges are rolled in a box of salt and 

 the salt then rubbed on the two broad surfaces. Any 

 excess salt is brushed from the cheese with the hand. 

 The cheeses are then laid on a draining table in single 

 layers. The second day, they are salted again in the 

 same way and piled two deep ; they are salted again the 

 third day and piled three or four layers deep. The 

 salting room or cellar should have a temperature of 60 

 F. and be fairly damp. The amount of salt used is 

 very important. The tendency is to use too much salt. 

 This retards the ripening process and in extreme cases 

 gives the cheese a salty taste. If not enough salt is 

 used, the cheese will deteriorate very rapidly on ac- 

 count of the development of undesirable types of fer- 

 mentation. The cheeses when salted are then placed in 

 the curing room, which is a cellar, usually beyond the 

 salting room. This cellar should have a temperature of 

 58 to 64 F. and a relative humidity of 95 per cent of 

 saturation. In winter it is necessary to have a fire to keep 

 the rooms warm, otherwise the cheese would cure very 

 slowly or not at all. In some factories the curing and 

 salting cellars are a single room. 



162. Ripening Limburger. When first placed in the 

 curing cellar, the cheeses are put on edge close together, 

 and as they cure are gradually separated. While in the 

 curing cellar, the cheese must be rubbed frequently by 

 hand and washed, usually with salt water. The object 

 of the rubbing is to keep the surface of the cheese moist 

 and prevent the growth of molds. The drier the cheese 

 and the more mold, the oftener the cheeses must be 



