The effect of light on the vitamin B2 and the vitamin A content of cheese

Edam type cheese was exposed to sunlight at ambient temperature and to fluorescent light at 5 degrees C. The loss of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin A was monitored in both the surface and inner layers of the cheese and the results compared with control samples kept in the dark. The loss of riboflavin when exposed to sunlight was shown to be primarily a surface effect but losses of vitamin A were similar throughout the cheese. When exposed to fluorescent light at 5 degrees C and monitored at intervals for 10 days the loss of riboflavin was still greatest at the surface but a trend to lower values than the control was evident throughout the cheese. Vitamin A losses followed a different pattern in both sunlight and fluorescent light. There was a heavy initial loss throughout the cheese. Under fluorescent light this was followed by a period in which further loss was mainly in the surface layer. Vacuum packaging reduced the loss of riboflavin but had no effect on the loss of vitamin A.