GIFSQ Tools · Module 07 — Dairy, Milk, Cheese & Fermented Products · Tool 133 of 500
Adjust a cheese brine to its target salt strength and work out how much brine a cheese load needs.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Salt or water to add (kg)
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Adjustment
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Brine for this cheese (kg)
Equation: Salt to add (kg) = brine (kg) × (target % − current %) ÷ (100 − target %). Water to add (kg) = brine (kg) × (current % − target %) ÷ target %. Brine for the cheese (kg) = cheese (kg) × brine ratio.
Method: Brine strength adjustment by salt mass balance; brine salt is checked by titration (AOAC 937.09, Mohr) or hydrometer. Cheese brines are usually held at 18–23% salt.
Assumptions: salt dissolves fully and the brine is well mixed; the cheese load does not change the brine strength during the adjustment itself.
Limitations: the adjustment fixes the brine, not the cheese — salt uptake by the cheese depends on time, temperature, size and rind, and must be checked on the cheese itself.
Rounding: adjustment and brine masses to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Brine strength adjustment by salt mass balance; brine salt is checked by titration (AOAC 937.09, Mohr) or hydrometer. Cheese brines are usually held at 18–23% salt.
Assumptions: salt dissolves fully and the brine is well mixed; the cheese load does not change the brine strength during the adjustment itself.
Limitations: the adjustment fixes the brine, not the cheese — salt uptake by the cheese depends on time, temperature, size and rind, and must be checked on the cheese itself.
Rounding: adjustment and brine masses to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: 100 kg of brine at 18% salt, target 22%; 10 kg of cheese at a brine ratio of 2. Salt to add = 100 × (22 − 18) ÷ (100 − 22) = 5.13 kg; brine for the cheese = 10 × 2 = 20.00 kg.
Enter values above to see results.
Cheese brines are usually 18–23% salt; keep at least 2 kg of brine per kilogram of cheese so the cheese stays covered. Tool 133 of 500 — GIFSQ
