Graininess in fresh cheese as affected by post-processing: Influence of tempering and mechanical treatment

Graininess is a common textural defect in cultured products. The aim was to determine a threshold for graininess in fresh cheese as influenced by post-processing and to study the effect of tempering and mechanical treatment on sensory and rheological properties. Tempering (38 °C for 1–300 min) or tempering and shearing (38 °C for 300 min, 375 L h−1, 300–3000 min−1) with a rotor/stator-device increased and decreased the in-mouth graininess, respectively. In-mouth graininess correlated well with the particle size dv (0.75) (R² = 0.99). The determined threshold (dv (0.75) ∼40 μm) may be useful as parameter for smooth textures. Both dv (0.75)n and Gn′ normalized to the sample tempered for 1 min increased identically during tempering. However, this was different during shearing possibly related to changed particle size distributions and particle properties after tempering and shearing, e.g., decreasing voluminosity. The results may enable manufacturers to produce smooth textures and to save raw material.