Manchego cheese texture evaluation by ultrasonics and surface probes

In this work, the use of ultrasonics and surface tests for cheese quality evaluation was studied. Manchego cheese pieces matured from 29 to 296 d were used. The internal and external texture of Manchego cheese determined from uniaxial compression, puncture test and surface probes, increased during maturation. Ultrasonic waves were highly scattered in Manchego cheese due to porosity. Ultrasonic velocity decreased linearly with temperature, the temperature coefficient ranging from −5.72 to −3.28 m s−1 °C−1. Velocity related well to textural parameters such as compression work and hardness (R2=0.843R2=0.843 and 0.826, respectively). The experiments carried out with surface probes attached to a texture analyzer showed a good relationship between internal and external textural parameters. These results show the feasibility of using ultrasonics and surface probes for quality control purposes, to assess texture and the maturation degree measured as days of storage in the curing chambers.