A Quantitative Appraisal of the Free Amino Acids in Foreign Type Cheese

Dr-partment of lJairy [lIdll.,try,Coruell l.'nirN"ily Ithaca, Xr-II' Yo 1' 1..Cheese ripening is inalterably associated with the production of numerous compounds from protein.The nature and significance of a number of the higher molecular "'eight intermediate end products have been extensively developed, but the area embracing the water soluble protein constituents has yet to be fully explored.Significant advances have been made by Tuckey et al. (13) using X-ray diffraction patterns and by Harper and Swanson (3) and Reihard and Garey (9) utilizing microbiological methods.Certain limitations inherent in each of these methods have preYented the attainment of a more complete view of water soluble components in cheese.The advent of chromatographic techniques brings this objective closer to realization.Cheddar cheese has been subjected to chromatographic analyses more extensively than other cheese.As reported by Kosikowsky (5), many free amino acids and a number of amines were found to be present in commercial Cheddar cheese.Block (2), also using paper chromatography, observed similar free amino acid patterns in Cheddar cheese.In another investigation (8) the quantitative aspects of free amino acids and 3mines in Cheddar chees~over the entire ripening period were noted.Foreign type cheese have recently been analyzed for their water soluble nitrogenous compounds by chromatographic methods ('2,1.(i.11. 12), but these studies were largely restricted to the qualitative phases.The present stud:' deals more with the quantitative aspeets of free amino acids and amines ill foreign type cheese.