title: Temperature and relative humidity influence the ripening descriptors of Camembert-type cheeses throughout ripening.
abstract: Ripening descriptors are the main factors that determine consumers' preferences of soft cheeses. Six descriptors were defined to represent the sensory changes in Camembert cheeses: Penicillium camemberti appearance, cheese odor and rind color, creamy underrind thickness and consistency, and core hardness. To evaluate the effects of the main process parameters on these descriptors, Camembert cheeses were ripened under different temperatures (8, 12, and 16°C) and relative humidity (RH; 88, 92, and 98%). The sensory descriptors were highly dependent on the temperature and RH used throughout ripening in a ripening chamber. All sensory descriptor changes could be explained by microorganism growth, pH, carbon substrate metabolism, and cheese moisture, as well as by microbial enzymatic activities. On d 40, at 8°C and 88% RH, all sensory descriptors scored the worst: the cheese was too dry, its odor and its color were similar to those of the unripe cheese, the underrind was driest, and the core was hardest. At 16°C and 98% RH, the odor was strongly ammonia and the color was dark brown, and the creamy underrind represented the entire thickness of the cheese but was completely runny, descriptors indicative of an over ripened cheese. Statistical analysis showed that the best ripening conditions to achieve an optimum balance between cheese sensory qualities and marketability were 13±1°C and 94±1% RH.
authors.affiliation: UMR GMPA, INRA 0782, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.; UMR GMPA, AgroParisTech, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France. Electronic address: perlat@grignon.inra.fr.
authors.forename: M-N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Leclercq-Perlat
authors.affiliation: UMR GMPA, INRA 0782, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.; UMR GMPA, AgroParisTech, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sicard
authors.affiliation: UMR GMPA, INRA 0782, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.; UMR GMPA, AgroParisTech, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Perrot
authors.affiliation: UMR GMPA, INRA 0782, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.; UMR GMPA, AgroParisTech, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: I C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Trelea
authors.affiliation: UMR GMPA, INRA 0782, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.; UMR GMPA, AgroParisTech, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Picque
authors.affiliation: UMR GMPA, INRA 0782, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.; UMR GMPA, AgroParisTech, 1 avenue Lucien Brétignières, 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corrieu
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis; D003116:Color; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D006813:Humidity; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis; D010407:Penicillium / Q000254:growth & development; D012677:Sensation; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000641:Ammonia
keywords: cheese ripening; relative humidity; ripening descriptors; temperature