The amount of salt in cheese

The amount of salt retained in the cheese is governed by a multitude of factors, as given below.

• The level or percentage of added salt
• Method of salting (I.e. addition of salt to the milled curd or brining the pressed cheese);
• Duration of salting
• Moisture content of the cheese and
• Type of cheese etc.

Caerphilly cheese is the only British variety where the curd is salted at the rate of 1.0%. he cheese is dry salted while it is being turned in the press, and finally immersed in brine (i.e. 18% concentration) at 15-16°C for 12 – 24 h.

Percentage of Salt added	Cheese variety
1.6 – 1.8	Wensleydale
1.7 – 1.9	Single and double Gloucester
1.8 – 2.0	Cheshire, Cotswold, Derby, Dunlop, Kingston and Leicester
2.5 – 3.0	Cheddar

Cheese brine is a sodium chloride solution and its concentration is expressed either as percentage NaCl (w/w) (e.g. saturated brine is 35% NaCl) or Baume. The brining conditions of the Swiss, Italian and Dutch cheese may vary slightly.