Salting of Cheese Curd

Summary

The salt content in rennet-curd cheeses ranges from ~0.7 % (w/w) in Swiss to ~5 % (w/w) in Domiati. Salt has three major functions in cheese: it acts as a preservative; it enhances safety and contributes directly to salty flavour. Together with the desired pH, water activity and redox potential, salt assists preservation of cheese by minimization of spoilage and preventing the growth of pathogens in cheese. The dietary intake of sodium in the modern western diet is generally excessive, being two to three times the level recommended for desirable physiological function (2.4 g Na, i.e., ~6 g NaCl per day). However, cheese generally makes a relatively small contribution to dietary Na intake except when large quantities of high salt cheeses, such as Domiati and Feta, are consumed.

In addition to the above functions, salt level has a major effect on cheese composition, microbial growth, enzymatic activities, and on biochemical changes, such as glycolysis, proteolysis, lipolysis, and para-casein hydration, that occur during ripening. Consequently, salt level markedly influences cheese flavour and aroma, rheology and texture properties, cooking performance and, hence, overall quality. Many factors affect salt uptake and distribution in cheese and precise control of these factors is a vital part of the cheesemaking process to ensure optimum quality consistently.