Relation between a temperature-sweep dynamic shear test and functional properties of cheeses

Overview & Synopsis

Relationships between functional properties and variables obtained with a temperature-sweep dynamic shear test of twenty different varieties of cheese were evaluated. Flowability was assessed using a modified Schreiber test and stretchability by a method involving vertical traction. The dynamic shear test provides a typical profile for each cheese variety, a profile that might be related to the different cheese-making processes, and especially to the heating and mechanical treatments influencing further the response of the cheese matrix by itself in conditions of cooking use. Principal component analysis (PCA) gave evidence of complex and non-linear relationships between the characteristics of the dynamic shear profile and the stretchability or meltability indices. A significant, but weak, link between pH and stretchability was observed. PCA separated cheeses by their cheese-making technology. The effects of the technological factors for the different types of cheese varieties on their functional properties suggest the possibility either of predicting these properties or of changing the processes in order to create new products with new functionalities.