Effects of Freezing, Thawing, and Shredding on Low Moisture, Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

Abstract

Commercially manufactured low moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheese (2.25-kg loaves) was either shredded or cut into 5- × 10- × 7-cm blocks. Shredded cheese and blocks were either frozen at –196°C and stored at –70°C or frozen and stored at –20°C. Cheese was then thawed at either 4.4, 12.8, or 25°C. Samples were analyzed for stretch by helical viscometry, for melt by the modified tube test, and for cook color by reflectance colorimetry just prior to freezing and at 7, 14, 21, and 42 d of storage. Mozzarella cheese stored at 4.4°C was used as the control. Shredding, freeze temperature, thaw temperature, and time of storage had no effect on cook color. Frozen cheese showed greater stretch than unfrozen cheese. Shredded cheese stretched more after frozen storage than unshredded cheese. Frozen shredded cheese melted less than frozen unshredded cheese. Cheese frozen at –20°C melted more after frozen storage than cheese frozen at –196°C. Cheese stored at 4.4°C melted more than frozen cheese. Thawing temperature by itself had no effect on either stretch or melt. Stretch was greatest in Mozzarella cheese frozen at –196°C, shredded, and held for at least 21 d. Melt was greatest in cheese in blocks, frozen at –20°C, and stored for only a short time.