Transport of sodium chloride and water in Gouda cheese as affected by high-pressure brining

The possibility of accelerating Gouda cheese brining by high-pressure treatment (100-500 MPa, 15-130 min) was investigated by comparison of the salt uptake of pressure-brined and nonpressure-brined Gouda cheese cylinders (similar to 8 g). The total amount of salt taken up by the cylinders was proportional to the square root of the brining time and was not influenced by pressure brining. In contrast, the water loss of the cheese cylinders was reduced by pressure brining at pressures above 200-300 MPa. No additional effect of a three-cycle process at 400 MPa was noticed on the salt uptake and water loss of the cheese cylinders. Moreover, the salt and water profiles of cheese (similar to 1.5 kg) brined for 24 h at 0.1 and 400 MPa were unaffected by high pressure. It was concluded that the salt uptake and salt diffusion cannot be accelerated by high-pressure brining, under the conditions specified. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.