Influence of salt content on the triglyceride composition of Idiazabal cheese during ripening

Abstract

The influence of salt content on the triglyceride (TG) composition of Idiazabal cheese during ripening has been studied. Cheeses were brined for 12, 24 and 36 h, with a higher salt content (g·kg-1 of cheese) and lower moisture percentage recorded in the longer-brined cheeses. The lower saturated, unsaturated, short-, medium-and long-chain TG contents recorded for the low-salted cheeses (brined for 12 h) and their progressive decrease during ripening were attributable mainly to differences in the rate of moisture loss in the cheeses. The differences in the composition of the TG profile of the low-, medium-and high-salted cheeses that were observed could be due to differences in the levels of lipolytic activity in the cheeses, with the higher salt concentrations (∼3-4 %) contributing to higher levels of lipolysis. © Inra/Elsevier, Paris.