DECOMPOSITION OF ORGANIC COMPOUND 237 



roquefortii, throughout the mass. Air is supplied by means 

 of holes punched through the cheese by stiff wires. The 

 cheese is originally inoculated in some cases by the addition 

 of moldy bread crumbs to the curd. 



Camembert cheese is also a soft cheese in which a much 

 larger proportion of whey is retained than in Cheddar 

 cheese. The cheese is molded into a small mass and kept in 

 a suitable curing room. Certain molds soon cover the 

 entire surface of the cheese. The most important of these 

 are the Oospora lactis and various species of PencilUum, 

 particularly PencilUum camembertii. These molds, par- 

 ticularly the latter, produce a proteolytic enzyme which 

 gradually diffuses toward the interior of the cheese. There 

 is, therefore, a progressive softening of the cheese mass from 

 the exterior to the interior, and the cheese is considered 

 completely ripe when the softening has extended to the 

 center. The mold itself usually does not penetrate very 

 deeply into the cheese mass and is removed before the 

 cheese is consumed. 



Bipening of Meat. — The so-called ripening process occur- 

 ring in meat is not brought about by the activity of micro- 

 organisms, although there are certain types of sausages in 

 which some bacterial and mold action is important in con- 

 tributing to the flavor. The ripening of meat is for the 

 most part due to the activity of the autolytic proteolytic 

 enzymes present in the meat itself. 



