Thermo-physical properties of semi-hard cheese made with different fat fractions: Influence of melting point and fat globule size

Semi-hard cheeses were manufactured from milk containing fat fractions with melting points of 5 and 41 °C, and butter oil as a control. The melting point of a fat fraction denotes the temperature above which all of the fat is fully liquid. Fats were emulsified by single- or two-stage homogenisation to provide large (LFG; d50,3 ∼ 2.75 μm) and small fat globules (SFG; d50,3 ∼ 1 μm), respectively. After 4 weeks of ripening, thermo-physical properties (flowability, stretchability, oiling-off) of the cheeses were analysed. Oiling-off increased significantly and flowability was significantly improved in cheeses containing LFG with increased melting point of the fat fraction. SFG led to less oiling-off, and lower flowability and stretchability. In cheese containing LFG, thermo-physical properties were mainly governed by fat globule stability as influenced by the melting point of the fat fraction, whereas in cheese containing SFG, the impact of the milk fat fraction was minor.