1. Four batches of soft (Karish) cheese were made from raw and from heat-treated milk containing 1·5% fat and 7% added salt. The cheeses were sealed in tins in contact with their own whey and examined after storage for 1 month and 2 months at room temperature and at 4—6°C.

2. Cheese stored at room temperature lost weight throughout the 2 months, but cheese stored at the low temperature gained weight after 1 month and lost weight after 2 months. Parallel changes occurred in the moisture content and salt content of the cheese.

3. The fat-in-dry-matter content of the cheese increased with room temperature storage, but at 4—6°C. it decreased after 1 month and increased after 2 months.

4. Pasteurization of the milk increased the yield of cheese and the flavour, body and texture were better than that of raw milk cheese stored at the same temperature. The effect of low-temperature storage was, however, greater than that of pasteurization.

5. The total nitrogen content of the cheese decreased throughout storage, particularly at room temperature. The decrease was smaller with pasteurized milk cheese which ripened more slowly. The total nitrogen content of the whey increased throughout storage at room temperature, but at 4—6°C. it increased after one month and decreased slightly after 2 months. The increases were greatest at room temperature and in wheys from raw milk cheese.

6. The initial acidities and also the subsequent rates of increase were higher in wheys from raw milk cheese.

7. The results are discussed in detail.