Asì€no is a traditional Italian cheese which, after a short ripening period in the warehouse, is soaked in a special brine, called "salmuerie", which consists of whey, salt, milk and milk cream. The effect of immersing this cheese in this unusual brine on the characteristics of this product and, particularly, on the profiles of the volatile compounds and the short-chain free volatile fatty acids was investigated. The study demonstrated that fatty acids prevail in the aromatic fraction and that these compounds migrate from the salmuerie into the cheese as a result of the concentration differential existing between the two systems.
