Effect of chemical composition on the linear viscoelastic properties of spreadable-type processed cheese

Moisture, fat and protein content were studied as factors likely to contribute to the viscoelastic properties of spreadable-type processed cheese samples obtained from oscillatory shear tests. Elastic and viscous moduli, loss tangent, complex modulus and complex viscosity were determined in a frequency sweep test. Processed cheese samples exhibited differences in their linear viscoelastic behavior due to their different chemical composition. Two distinct groups of samples were observed; processed cheeses that behaved like concentrated macromolecular solutions and processed cheeses that exhibited dilute solution behavior. Prediction models were obtained by multiple regression analysis that describe the relationship between chemical composition of processed cheese and linear viscoelastic properties of the final product. Moisture acted as a plasticizer and fat as a lubricant both contributing to a more liquid-like behavior of the samples. In contrast, proteins reinforced the strength of the three-dimensional matrix leading to processed cheeses with more solid-like behavior.