Oxygen absorbers (AP) were used for packaging portioned Gouda cheese. Vacuum packaged cheese (VP), cheese packaged under modified atmosphere (MAP) and cheese packaged in ambient air (control samples) were compared. Cheese samples were chill stored for 30, 60 and 90 days. The gas composition in cheese packaging was analyzed, the counts of coliform bacteria, yeasts and molds in cheese were determined, and the sensory attributes of cheese were evaluated in fresh cheese and in samples stored for 30, 60 and 90 days. The oxygen content of all types of packaging remained very low throughout the experiment, ranging from 0.00% in the packaging with oxygen absorbers to 2.67% in the control packaging. Oxygen absorbers effectively lowered the oxygen content of packaging to trace amounts. The results of microbiological analyses and sensory evaluations of stored cheese samples indicate that active packaging is nearly as effective in extending the shelf-life of ripened cheese as vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging.