Effects of moisture and salt migration on cheese firmness in cheese-in-sausage products

Moisture and salt migration are responsible for the softening of cheese, called cold melt, found in cheese-in-sausage products. By characterizing the rate of moisture and salt migration in model cheese-in-sausage systems, diffusion coefficients for water and salt in cheese were obtained. As expected, the rate of moisture migration was greater when the initial driving force (difference in water activities of cheese and sausage) were greatest. These conditions also led to most rapid softening of the cheese. An edible barrier was found to reduce but not completely inhibit moisture migration and softening, whereas formulation to match water and salt activity of sausage and cheese virtually eliminated moisture migration and softening.