Effects of atmospheric composition on respiratory behavior, weight loss, and appearance of Camembert-type cheeses during chamber ripening

Respiratory activity, weight loss, and appearance of Camembert-type cheeses were studied during chamber ripening in relation to atmospheric composition. Cheese ripening was carried out in chambers under continuously renewed, periodically renewed, or nonrenewed gaseous atmospheres or under a CO2 concentration kept constant at either 2 or 6% throughout the chamber-ripening process. It was found that overall atmospheric composition, and especially CO2 concentration, of the ripening chamber affected respiratory activity. When CO2 was maintained at either 2 or 6%, O-2 consumption and CO2 production (and their kinetics) were higher compared with ripening trials carried out without regulating CO2 concentration over time. Global weight loss was maximal under continuously renewed atmospheric conditions. In this case, the airflow increased exchanges between cheeses and the atmosphere. The ratio between water evaporation and CO2 release also depended on atmospheric composition, especially CO2 concentration. The thickening of the creamy underrind increased more quickly when CO2 was present in the chamber from the beginning of the ripening process. However, CO2 concentrations higher than 2% negatively influenced the appearance of the cheeses.