To determine whether the development of surface mould on Provolone Valpadana cheese could be controlled by technological methods instead of normal environmentally unfriendly fumigation and chemical treatments, 2 series of tests were conducted. In the 1st, cheeses were subjected to direct UV irradiation, and in the 2nd the drying area was sanitized by UV rays. UV irradiation of the drying area proved as effective as fumigation; direct irradiation of the cheeses was as effective as chemical treatment, but proved difficult to effect uniformly, primarily because of the cord used to bind the sausage-shaped cheeses. Use of plastics coating (Plasticoat) in place of traditional paraffin wax led to a reduction in the cheeses' moisture content and affected the ripening process.
