Modelling CO2 transfer in foil ripened semi-hard Swiss-type cheese

Despite CO2 production and diffusion during ripening of semi-hard Swiss-type cheese are considered as important quality parameters, the research concerning key gas production and transfer in cheese remains widely overlooked. In this study, experimentally assessed CO2 production was coupled with transfer coefficients in a mathematical model in order to predict CO2 gradients formed inside the cheese during ripening. The permeability coefficient of CO2 through the multilayer barrier packaging which wraps the cheese during ripening was also included in the model. The presented model was validated by assessing the CO2 concentration in the cheese and its partial pressure in the packaging headspace. CO2 production rate was found to be the most important input parameter affecting CO2 gradients formed in cheese during ripening whereas the other input parameters (solubility, diffusivity, permeability) had little effect on the total CO2 gradient.