PRELIMINARY-STUDY ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF PLASMIN TO PROTEOLYSIS IN CHEDDAR CHEESE - CHEESE CONTAINING PLASMIN INHIBITOR, 6-AMINOHEXANOIC ACID

Plasmin inhibitor, 6-aminohexanoic acid (AHA) was added to a portion of stirred curd Cheddar cheese at salting. Proteolysis in the AHA-treated cheese and a control cheese from the same vat was monitored through ripening for 6 months. Differences were noted in the electrophoretic patterns of control and AHA cheeses of similar age throughout ripening. Also, electrophoretic patterns of the water soluble nitrogen fractions of the cheese were different, suggesting that plasmin plays a role in proteolysis during Cheddar cheese ripening.