title: Temperature-induced moisture migration in reduced-fat Cheddar cheese.
abstract: Moisture migration during cooling of 290-kg Cheddar cheese blocks is a problem. The problem is of greater magnitude in reduced and low fat varieties. The objective of this study was to design and evaluate the performance of a laboratory-scale apparatus for simulation of temperature induced moisture migration in 290-kg blocks of Cheddar cheese. Two apparati were designed to produce a systematic temperature gradient in small cheese slabs over a 36-h period to simulate the temperature gradient that develops during cooling of a 290-kg block. One of the apparati was designed to induce a moisture migration downwards with gravity and the other against gravity. The apparati produced moisture migration ranges of 9.7 and 6.4%, for the apparatus to induce moisture migration downwards and upwards, respectively. The moisture moved from areas of warm cheese to areas of cold cheese during cooling, as occurs in 290-kg blocks. These ranges were comparable to those obtained with 290-kg reduced-fat Cheddar blocks. In addition, small but significant differences in pH were created within slabs. The direct effect of the temperature gradient on moisture migration within cheese slabs appeared to be more important than the possible impact of the small pH gradient produced within the cheese by the temperature gradient.
mesh_terms: D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D003116:Color; D005524:Food Technology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D008894:Milk Proteins; D014867:Water