RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF MOZZARELLA CHEESE DETERMINED BY CREEP/RECOVERY TESTS: EFFECT OF SAMPLING DIRECTION, TEST TEMPERATURE AND RIPENING TIME

Abstract

ABSTRACT The viscoelastic properties of mozzarella cheese using a creep/recovery test considering different sampling directions (parallel and perpendicular to protein fiber orientation), test temperatures (20, 30 and 40C) and ripening times (1, 8, 15, 29 and 36 days) were studied. Creep data were interpreted by a Burger model of four parameters. A semiempirical approach was proposed to obtain the contribution of each main compliance to the total deformation of the system. Creep tests at different temperatures allowed gaining a better understanding of changes that occur in the cheese matrix during heating and ripening. Sampling direction did not affect any of the parameters studied. Finally, it was clearly observed that cheese matrix behaves as a quite different physicochemical system depending on temperature. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out the rheological tests at different temperatures to evaluate appropriately the viscoelastic properties of mozzarella cheese. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Mozzarella cheese must have certain characteristics to be used on pizzas and on other prepared foods that use the cheese in melted state. The protein chains in the mozzarella curds coalesce into large strands that are oriented in the direction of stretching. For this reason, mozzarella cheese has an anisotropic structure. Therefore, it is relevant to determine the effect of protein fiber orientation on the rheological properties. Valuable information may be obtained through the creep/recovery test of mozzarella cheese samples to study its rheological properties and to explain molecular mechanisms that occur during ripening or melting processes considering sampling direction.