Abstract
The presence of calcium lactate (CaL2) crystals on the surface of Cheddar cheese is an appearance defect that consumer often attributes to mold. This problem is widespread in the cheese industry. The solubility of CaL2in water determines the likelihood of formation of CaL2crystals on the surface of Cheddar cheese. Very little fundamental work has been done to measure the solubility of CaL2at conditions appropriate to storage of cheese. CaL2is a moderately-soluble salt, with saturation concentrations that increase from about 2 g anhydrous CaL2/g water at 0°C to about 50 g anhydrous CaL2/g water at 60°C. The substantial variability in data available in the literature attests to the difficulties in accurately measuring solubility concentrations. The limited amount of data available in the literature suggest that a decrease in pH through addition of lactic acid leads to a decrease in solubility, and that addition of salt (NaCl) has no effect on solubility.
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