## 3 Results
### Firmness Index  
By analogy with the method proposed by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [32], the firmness/hardness index (FI) of the cheeses was determined as the ratio between the maximum penetration force (F\({}_{\text{P max}}\)) and the maximum penetration depth (h):  
\[FI=F_{P\ max}/h, \tag{9}\]  
The FI value can be easily calculated using the following Excel instruction, which checks two independent conditions in the data table and then decides which value to return:  
\"=IF(AND(VLOOKUP(\"v30 mm/min\",E3738:F7473,1,FALSE)=\"v30 mm/min\", VLOOKUP(\"Camembert\",G3738:G7473,1,FALSE)=\"Camembert\"),MAX(D3738:D7473)/MAX(C3738:C7473), 0).\"  
This instruction uses the VLOOKUP function to check if the variable \"v30 mm_min\" is present in the range E3738 (the columns with the speed acronym) and if the variable \"Camembert\" is present in the range G3738 (the column for the cheese type). If both conditions are true, it calculates the ratio between the maximum values in the ranges D3738 (the column for penetration force) and C3738 (the column for penetration depth). If \"v30 mm_min\" and \"Camembert\" are not found, it returns the value 0. The firmness indices determined, using relation 4, are presented in Table 5. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Cheese** & **Cone** & **Const. Cone** & **Speed** & **FI** \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{Camebert} & \multirow{8}{*}{cone\_09\_deg} & \multirow{8}{*}{4.020} & v12 mm/min & 0.0612 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v30 mm/min & 0.069 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v60 mm/min & 0.0738 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v12 mm/min & 0.121472 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v30 mm/min & 0.145759 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v60 mm/min & 0.154103 \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{cone\_90\_deg} & \multirow{4}{*}{0.159} & v12 mm/min & 0.685781 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v30 mm/min & 0.508961 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v60 mm/min & 0.548529 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 5: Firmness index FI is determined for various cone geometries and penetration speeds. The plots in Figure 12 present the firmness indices for different varieties of mold-ripened cheeses (Camembert, Brie, Dorblue, Roquefort) under various experimental conditions. In the plot shown in Figure 12a, the FI of the cheeses is displayed as a function of penetration speed (v12 mm/min, v30 mm/min, v60 mm/min). For all four varieties of cheese, it is observed that firmness varies with penetration speed. In the case of Camembert, the firmness is relatively low regardless of the applied speed, but it slightly increases at a speed of 60 mm/min. Brie and Dorblue show a significant increase in firmness at a speed of 30 mm/min, while, for Roquefort, firmness increases significantly at all speeds. Differences in firmness are observed between the types of chees, indicating structural variation. In Figure 12b, the FI is represented as a function of cone geometry (cone_9_deg, cone_19_deg, cone_90_deg). It is observed that, for Camembert, firmness remains relatively low for cones with tip angles of 9 and 19 degrees, with a significant increase for the 90-degree cone. Brie shows a more moderate increase in firmness at 19 and 90 degrees. Dorblue exhibits a relevant increase in firmness at 90 degrees, similar to the observations for penetration speed. Roquefort also shows higher firmness at high tip angle values, especially at 90 degrees. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Cheese** & **Cone** & **Const. Cone** & **Speed** & **FI** \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{Brie} & cone\_09\_deg & 4.020 & \begin{tabular}{c} v12 mm/min \\ \end{tabular}  & 0.056211 \\ \cline{3-5}  & cone\_09\_deg & 4.020 & \begin{tabular}{c} v30 mm/min \\ \end{tabular}  & 0.06026 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v60 mm/min & 0.054781 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v12 mm/min & 0.119805 \\ \cline{3-5}  & cone\_19\_deg & 1.850 & \ \begin{tabular}{c} v30 mm/min \\ \end{tabular}  & 0.107896 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v60 mm/min & 0.110844 \\ \cline{3-5}  & & & v12 mm/min & 0.531142 \\ \cline{3-5}  & cone\_90\_deg & 0.159 & \begin{tabular}{c} v30 mm/min \\ \end{tabular}