Sodium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride affected by Ripening of Camembert Cheese

Ripening of cheese with three kinds of salt treatment was studied using MgCl 2 , NaCl or a mixture of the two. Proteolysis was followed by determination of TCA-soluble nitrogen and quantitative electrophoresis. A rapid one-step method for free fatty acids was used to determine short and long-chin fatty acids. In the presence of magnesium, proteolysis increased, even with NaCl, which seemed to delay the magnesium activation. Lipolysis was retarded by NaCl, which decreased the level of free fatty acids. An imbalance between proteolysis and lipolysis could be responsible for the unpleasant flavor of the cheese containing both MgCl 2 and NaCl