Texture evaluation of commercial mozzarella cheeses

This study aimed to examine the textural characteristics such as hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness and gumminess of four brands of commercial mozzarella cheeses in order to develop a product made with fat replacers with similar characteristics to these cheeses. These textural characteristics were analysed using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. A non-stretching cheddar cheese was used as a standard. The moisture, fat and protein contents of the cheeses were also analysed. The hardness and springiness were significantly higher with increased compression, while cohesiveness was reduced. Chewiness and gumminess initially increased and then decreased. The cheddar cheese exhibited higher hardness compared to mozzarella cheeses and slightly lower springiness. There was a drastic decrease in chewiness and gumminess with increased compression in all the mozzarella cheeses. The cheddar cheese showed significantly lower cohesiveness, which decreased with increased compression. In general, the hardness decreased with increase in moisture content. The springiness increased significantly with increase in fat content while the cohesiveness increased with increase in protein content in the mozzarella cheeses. This study shows the effect of moisture, fat and protein on the textural characteristics of the commercial mozzarella cheeses. One of the mozzarella cheeses showed the textural characteristics of the typical full-fat mozzarella cheese and will be used as a reference for further studies in developing a mozzarella cheese made with fat replacers.