Exploring melting behaviours of different cheese products by structural characteristics and rheological properties
Wei Fu, Hiroyuki Yano
Abstract
The melting behaviours of three types of commercial melting cheeses were compared. Melting natural cheese (MNC) and melting processed cheese (MPC) showed great meltability and stretchability, while melting vegan cheese (MVC) showed little meltability or stretchability. In the dynamic viscoelastic test performed by a temperature sweep, MNC and MPC showed flow characteristics, whereas MVC showed solidity. In the electron micrographs, MNC and MPC held extensible structures, whereas large cracks appeared in MVC This study was designed to contribute a methodology that helps to understand the relationship among melting behaviours, rheological properties and structural characteristics, and thereby helps to facilitate the designing of the melting cheese effectively.