Effects of Atmospheric Composition on Respiratory Behavior, Weight Loss, and Appearance of Camembert-Type Cheeses During Chamber Ripening

Abstract

Respiratory activity, weight loss, and appearance of Camembert-type cheeses were studied during chamber ripening in relation to atmospheric composition. Cheese ripening was carried out in chambers under continuously renewed, periodically renewed, or nonrenewed gaseous atmospheres or under a CO(2) concentration kept constant at either 2 or 6% throughout the chamber-ripening process. It was found that overall atmospheric composition, and especially CO(2) concentration, of the ripening chamber affected respiratory activity. When CO(2) was maintained at either 2 or 6%, O(2) consumption and CO(2) production (and their kinetics) were higher compared with ripening trials carried out without regulating CO(2) concentration over time. Global weight loss was maximal under continuously renewed atmospheric conditions. In this case, the airflow increased exchanges between cheeses and the atmosphere. The ratio between water evaporation and CO(2) release also depended on atmospheric composition, especially CO(2) concentration. The thickening of the creamy underrind increased more quickly when CO(2) was present in the chamber from the beginning of the ripening process. However, CO(2) concentrations higher than 2% negatively influenced the appearance of the cheeses.

The Composition of Camembert Cheese-Ripening Cultures Modulates both Mycelial Growth and Appearance

“…As noted earlier, culture-dependent methods do not reflect this exponential growth of fungi because cells contained in the hyphal filaments cannot be counted on culture media and because these techniques are highly influenced by the presence of spores (19). Inaccurate evaluation of the exponential growth phase for P. camemberti was attributed to the fact that spore formation began at about day 5 (36) and was predominant between day 8 and day 12 of the ripening period (19,23). Spores can easily be separated from mycelia and form individual colonies on culture medium, while dense mycelia are difficult to spread.…”

Towards a global modelling of the Camembert-type cheese ripening process by coupling heterogeneous knowledge with dynamic Bayesian networks

“…In cheese ripening, as in every complex food processes, most of the control measures are performed on the basis of the expert's sensory perceptions (Perrot et al, 2004;Picque et al, 2006). The ripening expert is able to explain part of the complex reactions through his perception of quality changes.…”

Effect of sequential ventilation on cheese ripening and energy consumption in pilot ripening rooms

“…For example, Picque et al (2006) and Leclercq-Perlat et al (2006) reported that the ripening of soft mould-ripened cheeses was modified by the gas composition of the ripening chamber. Respiratory activity and proteolysis were increased by increasing the CO 2 concentration (to between 2 and 6%), but an excessively high level (6%) negatively influenced the appearance of the cheeses.…”