Effectiveness of High-Pressure Brining of Manchego-type Cheese

Manchego-type cheese was submitted to pressures of 50 and 200 MPa during brining, in order to assess whether the application of high pressure can increase the rate of salt uptake and/or the rate of salt diffusion. Salt-in-moisture, pH and moisture content were analysed in the external, the middle and the internal zones of pressure and non-pressure brined cheeses. Results show that these conditions of high-pressure brining accelerate neither salt uptake nor salt diffusion. However, after salting, pressure brined cheeses presented higher pH than non-pressure brined ones. This pH shift is strongly related to the cheese zone, being high in the internal zone and negligible in the external.