AbstractThere was not any relationship between the total protein content of old pickling whey examined and the salt concentration, but the soluble protein and acidity were inversely related. Calcium and phosphorus increased with increased acidity. Electrophoretic analysis of the old pickling whey samples, clarified by centrifugation, revealed the presence of only 2–4 protein peaks probably of the β‐lactoglobulin type.Raw milk cheese ripened with its own salt whey lost 74.1 g milk dry matter (MDM), 44.7 g total protein (TP), 27.6 g soluble protein (SP), 2.2 g amino acid nitrogen, (AAN), 4.0 g Ca and 0.712 g P per kg cheese (fresh weight), at 7 months of age. When ripening occurred without whey, the loss were only 61.9, 32.7, 17.4, 2.4, 2.6 and 0.448, respectively.Cheese made of milk momentarily heated to 72°C and ripened with whey lost 60.7 g MDM, 42.9 g TP, 32.1 g SP, 0.866 g AAN, 2.9 g Ca and 0.477 g P per kg cheese. Ripening without whey resulted in a loss of 60.2, 33.8, 21.3, 1.4, 2.6 and 0.483, respectively.