CHEMICAL CHANGES IN RIPENING 353 



Thus, it is seen that the first-formed products of 

 cheese-ripening, paranuclein, caseoses and peptones, 

 remain fairly uniform, while the amino acids and am- 

 monia continuously increase. 



WHY MOISTURE INFLUENCES THE 

 CHEESE-RIPENING PROCESS 



We have seen that an increased moisture content 

 in cheese favors more active chemical changes in 

 the process of ripening. This may be due to one or 

 both of two effects. First, moisture in itself may 

 favor the activity of the ripening ferments. It is well 

 known that moisture is necessary for the action of 

 ferments and that increase of moisture above a certain 

 amount increases their action. Second, the presence 

 of increased amounts of moisture serves to dilute the 

 fermentation products and, to that extent, to counter- 

 act their unfavorable effect. 



In ordinary cheese-ripening, there is a constant 

 loss of moisture and this serves to make more con- 

 centrated the fermentation products, which are 

 increasing at the same time the moisture is de- 

 creasing. Accordingly, after 3 to 6 months, differ- 

 ence in moisture appears to exert a more marked 

 influence upon the increased formation of soluble 

 nitrogen compounds than in the early stages of 

 ripening. 



