MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND SENSORY TEXTURE ASSESSMENT OF CHEESES

摘要

The viscoelastic behaviour of hard and semi-hard cheeses was investigated in relation to sensory assessment of texture. The experiments consisted of two separate studies which involved sensory and uniaxial compression tests on eight cheeses in each study. The stress-strain data of the cheeses were approximated well by a power law relationship, showing that the strain and the time dependent variables were separable. The cheeses exhibited similar time dependent behaviour, so the degree of correlation between sensory and instrumental measurements was not influenced significantly by changing the deformation rate in the instrumental tests. Sensory firmness appeared to correlate with instrumental stiffness measurements in one study, but not in the other. This was probably due to the use of different panels and methods of sensory assessment.