Rheological and textural behaviour of double cream cheese. Part I: Effect of curd homogenization

Abstract

Double cream cheese was made by classical cheesemaking and different products were obtained by varying the curd homogenization pressure (0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 MPa). Rheological and textural behaviour of cheeses were estimated by determining flow curves, viscoelastic parameters G′ and G″ (dynamic testing) and extrusion shear stress (capillary extrusion). Flow curve results were not reliable because the majority of cheese were ‘brittle’ and product destructuration was observed during sampling. Extrusion shear stress increased with the homogenization pressure, and a pressure of around 20 MPa seems to be a value which determines the borderline between two cheese structures. Storage modulus (G′) increased and loss modulus (G″) decreased with the pressure. This, with extrusion results, indicates that fat re-emulsification leads to a product better organized and thus more elastic because of more interactions between particles. Emphasis was placed on the importance of the upstream steps in the manufacturing process, especially on the fat phase destabilization.