## 3 Results and Discussion
### Proteolysis  
Proteolysis is the most important biochemical event during the ripening of most rennet-coagulated cheese varieties, with a major impact on flavor and texture. During the ripening of the cheeses, caseins are hydrolyzed, resulting in water-soluble nitrogenous fractions (WSN). These fractions are indicators of the proteolysis that the cheeses undergo, which describes the speed and manner of ripening of the cheeses. Proteolysis, in terms of both SN and low-molecular-weight nitrogen fractions (i.e., TCA-SN and PTA-SN) expressed on cheese weight, is lower in primed cheeses compared to semi-hard and hard cheeses [10]. The main reason is the higher moisture content (53-56%) compared to the other cheeses groups and the very high salt-in-moisture content. Furthermore, the migration of whey proteins and soluble proteolysis products into the brine limits the concentration of these products in the cheese mass [10]. Table 5 shows in detail the course of the WSN/TN, TCA-N/TN, and TCA-N/WSN indices of the chees ripened and preserved in TC and SST containers. The water-soluble nitrogen ratio (WSN/TN) increased from 8.19% on day 1 to 10.29% and 10.41% for (TC) and (SST), respectively, on day 10, and remained at these levels until, on the 180 th day of preservation of the cheeses, they showed small, but not statistically significant, differences (\(p>0.05\)). No significant difference (\(p>0.05\)) was found for ripening index between the two groups of cheeses during ripening-preservation. The values of the WSN/TN index found for both the TS and SST groups of cheese during the ripening-preservation process agreed with those reported by [PERSON], et al. and by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [22; 27]. The TCA-N/TN index showed a similar trend and no significant differences (\(p>0.05\)) between the two groups of cheeses. The TCA-N/TN values in the TS and SST cheees are in accordance with those of other research studies [22; 27]. Finally, the TCA-N/WSN index showed no statistically significant differences (\(p>0.05\)) between the two groups during ripening-preservation. Therefore, considering the above, we can draw the conclusion that there was a slightly increased ripening speed in the TC cheeses, up to 90 days; however, at 180 days, the level of proteolysis of both groups of cheeses was similar. Figure 2 and Tables 6-8 show the evolution of the characteristic regions of the RP-HPLC profiles. Chromatograms show some free amino acids and non-nitrogenous soluble components (eluted in the 0-10 min interval), followed by small peptides and the majority of free amino acids (proteolysis products) (in the 10-40 min interval), the water-soluble components (in the 40-70 min interval), and, finally, the hydrophobic components, large peptides, and whey proteins (in the 70-100 min interval). Comparing the chromatographic analysis of the nitrogen fractions of the cheeses and brines in the two ripening-preservation media (TC and SST), no differences were found between them. Specifically, the percentages of the chromatographic surfaces in the time intervals 0-10, 10-40, 40-70, and 70-100 min, of the chromatograms and the ratios (55-100 min)/(10-55 min), and (70-100 min)/(0-70 min) of the nitrogen fractions of cheeses (WSN/TN and TCA-N/TN Tables 7 and 8, respectively) and brines (Table 6), were similar during ripening-preservation in TC and SST, and did not present any statistically significant difference (\(p>0.05\)).