Hydrogen sulphide in Cheddar cheese; its estimation and possible contribution to flavour

Abstract

SummaryA modified entrainment method is described for the estimation of microquantities of hydrogen sulphide in cheese. Optimum recovery is only possible if the conditions are very acid, if oxygen is excluded and if appreciable loss by diffusion is avoided by minimizing the surface area of the sample and the time it is exposed to the atmosphere. The reproducibility of determinations from the same cheese was satisfactory.The concentration of H2S in New Zealand Cheddar cheese curd at hooping was less than 20 μg/100 g but increased after ripening for 1–4 months to an average concentration of 55 μg, thereafter remaining fairly constant. There appeared to be no simple relationship between characteristic Cheddar flavour and H2S concentration.