SIGNIFICANCE AND DYINAMICS OF SALT DURING STORAGE AND RIPENING OF WHITE CHEESE IN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION

Sjenica cheese is one of the best kinds from the group of white cheese in brine in Republic of Serbia. The production centers are mountainous highlands that surround the town of Sjenica, (Serbia), although the similar cheese is produced in the territory of neighbor municipalities. In recent years, the production has been carried out in industrial conditions -mini dairies. It is made from fresh whole sheep, cow and mixed (sheep s and cow s) milk. The investigations were aimed to determine the salt content in cheese and its changes during storage and ripening, because chemical composition of cheese depends on salt content, it effects on the maturation process, the taste, the rheological properties of cheese, and has also preserving properties. The results showed that the largest changes of salt in all three kinds of cheese occurred in the period 1-15 days of ripening. The salt content of mature cheese at the end of the ripening period of 45 days was 5.89% in cow cheese, 5.47% in mixed cheese, 5.29% in sheep cheese. As you can see the salt content in all three kinds of cheese was high which resulted in increase of dry matter content in cheese, the intensity of biochemical changes, or the content of soluble nitrogen, and thus the lower values of the coefficient of maturity.