Effect of freezing on the viscoelastic behavior during the ripening of a commercial low-fat soft cheese

MEZA, B. E.; VERDINI, R. A.; RUBIOLO, A.C.

INTERNATIONAL DAIRY JOURNAL

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Año: 2011 vol. 21 p. 346 - 351

0958-6946

The effect of the freezing process (freezing at -25 ºC, frozen storage at -25 ºC during 33 days, and thawing at 6 ºC) on the viscoelastic behavior of a commercial low-fat soft cheese containing microparticulated whey proteins as fat replacers at different ripening  times (1, 21, 48, and 76 days) was studied. Frequency sweeps (0.01-10 Hz) at 20 ºC in  the linear viscoelastic region were performed. Frequency dependency of viscoelastic data was determined using power-law equations (G´=aωx, G"=bωy). Freezing process produced an increase in the maturation index, the viscous behavior and a decrease in values of coefficient a. However, the decay rate of coefficient a during the studied ripening period was not influenced by this process. A good negative correlation between a and maturation index was obtained. The results of this work indicated that the freezing process is a factor that contributes to the viscoelastic behavior of the studied cheeses.