Measurement and calculation of water activity in Blue cheese

Abstract

SummaryWateractivity (aw), pH, and several chemical components were determined in 20 samples of Blue cheese belonging to the varieties Bleu de Bresse, Cabrales, Danablu, Edelpilzkäse, Gorgonzola and Roquefort. The aw in these cheeses could be calculated from chemical data on a water content basis (g/100 g H2O) by two simple equations:where SN is the soluble nitrogen.Differences between calculated and measured aw using these relationships were similar to those obtained with a more complex equation described by Rüegg & Blanc (1983).