A REVIEW OF FACTORS INFLUENCING SALT RETENTION IN CHEESE

A REVIEW OF FACTORS INFLUENCING SALT RETENTION IN CHEESE

Introduction

Most cheesemakers agree that salt plays a critical role in cheese flavour and body, and that correct salting levels in cheese are essential for a clean flavoured product.
Under-salting cheese can produce a pasty and weak-bodied cheese with an open texture, abnormal ripening and bitter flavour.  The opposite - oversalting - leads to harsh-bodied cheeses with closed texture or cracked rinds.  Over-salting can also lead to off flavours such as cooked or slightly burned, and result in slower ripening.

**  Refer to the article attached for more information on factors that influences salt retention in cheese as well as the principle effects salt has on cheese.