A Comparative Study of Methods for the Determination of Moisture in Cheese

Abstract

Abstract Eleven types of cheese were analyzed for moisture by the official AOAC method and by a method proposed by the International Dairy Federation (IDF). Some cheeses were also analyzed by the AOAC rapid screening method and by a proposed distillation method. The IDF method requires mixing 3 g cheese with about 20 g dried and weighed sand, then drying at 105°C for 4 hours. In the proposed distillation method, moisture is distilled from cheese (9—15 g) with xylene and n-amyl alcohol (2 + 1) into a Bidwell-Sterling type of receiver. Comparative results show that the official method is not applicable to cheeses with a relatively high content of volatile compounds, such as Bleu cheese; that the AOAC rapid method and the distillation method give results in about 12 hours that agree well with the official method for other types of cheese; and that the IDF method gives results about 0.2 % lower than those by the official method (actual difference). Preliminary studies on the Karl Fischer titration procedure and a gas-liquid chromatography procedure indicate that these procedures may be suitable as basic reference methods