UNIAXIAL COMPRESSION OF CHEDDAR CHEESE AT VARIOUS LOADING RATES AND ITS CORRELATION TO SENSORY TEXTURE PROFILES

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe effects of loading rate (1‐20mm/s) on the level of correlation between instrumental uniaxial compression data and sensory measurement were investigated for 20 commercial Cheddar cheeses. The samples were evaluated by a professionally trained descriptive panel who profiled springiness, hardness, cohesiveness, cohesiveness of mass, roughness of mass, toothpack, toothpull and loose particles in the test samples. The instrumental evaluation was carried out using a double uniaxial compression test with a TA‐XT2 Plus Texture Analyzer. Two methods of data analysis were used. First, multiple instrumental parameters were extracted from the force‐deformation curves (instrumental parameter method); secondly, Spectral Stress Strain Analysis (SSSA) was performed. In this method, loads measured at various deformation levels are used as predictors of sensory attribute scores. Partial Least Squares Regression was used to model the relationship between instrumental results and sensory attributes. Data analysis shows that all these attributes were well predicted by instrumental parameters (Rcal> = 0.79) but that the use of SSSA slightly improved the quality of the models. In addition, SSSA yielded lower root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values than instrumental parameter models for six of the eight attributes studied. The effect of loading rates on correlations between instrumental and sensory measurement was inconclusive.