Principles of Cheese Technology 247Brine SaltingBrine salting involves dipping cheese blocks
in a sodium chloride solution containing 18%
to 26% salt and 0.1% CaCl 2. The pH of brine
is adjusted to 5.2 to 5.6 to protect the surface
appearance of the cheese form. Cheese blocks
and other forms are immersed in brine at 9 ° C
to 16 ° C (48 ° F to 60 ° F) for penetration and
equilibration of salt. Dry salt is sprinkled on
the surface of the fl oating cheese blocks. The
period of immersion depends on the tempera-
ture of the brine, the recirculation rate of the
brine, and the surface area/weight unit of
cheese. The optimum salt concentration of
cheese is 1.75% to 2.25%.
The time period for brine treatment varies
with the size of the cheese block. Small cuts
and sizes (250 to 350 g) are dipped for one to
four hours for proper salt penetration. For
larger sizes, for example, 3 to 5 kg, it may
take two to four days, and for even larger
sizes (20 kg), the time must be extended to at
least fi ve days.
Brine tanks are constructed of materials
resistant to salt corrosion. Stainless steel
tanks are likely to be corroded by salt in a
relatively short time. Accordingly, fi berglass
or suitable plastic tanks are common. Freshly
made brine should be checked for its strength
using a fl oating hydrometer, which measures
the specifi c gravity of brine. The relationship
between the percentage of salt and the spe-
cifi c gravity of the brine determines the salt
strength of the brine. A salometer (salimeter,
salinometer) is another fl oating instrument
for checking the salt strength of brine. It is
calibrated in degrees in which 0 ° represents
the specifi c gravity of pure water. A salom-
eter reading of 100 is equivalent to saturated
brine at 3.3 ° C (38 ° F), which corresponds to
26.4% salt concentration or specifi c gravity
of 1.204.
The brine should be checked daily to
ensure proper strength, and fresh salt should
be incorporated to make up for any dilution.The salt dissolves in the aqueous phase of
cheese. Therefore, in cheese containing 38%
moisture, the effective salt concentration in
solution is 2.63 × the salt level of cheese,
which calculates to 4.2%.
The effective salt concentration controls
the pattern of cheese fermentation during
ripening. Lactic acid production is also
slowed considerably, which in the long
run helps to balance moisture retention in
cheese. Concomitant with the penetration
of salt in cheese, clear whey is exuded
from milled curd. This is related to the
osmotic effects of salting. Coarse salt is
preferred because it diffuses slowly. Finer
grains dissolves too quickly and the salt is
easily lost in the whey. To facilitate slow
absorption, coarse salt is applied in three
installments.
Evidently, sodium ions at the normal salt
level in cheese are toxic to many undesirable
organisms, especially in the early stages of
salting when the salt level is extremely high
on the outer surface of the cheese particles.
It is common practice to use a higher salt
level (3 lbs/1,000 lbs of milk) in cheese curd
that has excessive moisture or acidity. Similar
action is warranted if the curd develops gas-
siness or off fl avors.
It should be remembered that over - salting
leads to harder and drier cheese with restricted
ripening effects. On the other hand, lack of
adequate salt causes higher moisture reten-
tion in cheese and accelerated breakdown of
protein and fat with severe body and fl avor
defects. This results from changes in the eco-
logical balance of the microfl ora during
cheese ripening. Salt in optimum levels also
solubilizes constituents of cheese as well as
microbial cells, thereby enhancing enzymatic
reactions during curing. The presence of salt
in cheese may be involved in controlling
toxin production by Clostridium botulinum.
However, other food poisoning organisms
such as Staphylococcus aureus are tolerant to
a 5% to 10% salt level.