Freezing Qualities of Cheddar-Type Cheeses Containing Varied Percentages of Fat, Moisture, and Salt

¹ University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison 53706

Eighteen compositions of Cheddar-type cheeses, manufactured to attain three moisture percentages (low, normal, and high), three fat percentages (low, normal, and high), and two salt percentages (low and normal), were aged 2.5 mo, frozen 4 mo at –18°C, and then thawed. The thawed cheeses were aged for 0, 2, 4, and 8 wk at 7°C. A 3 x 3 x 2 factorial design was used to determine the effects of composition, freezing, and aging on cheese quality attributes. Low salt, low fat cheese and low salt, high fat cheese showed increased fracturability immediately after frozen storage, but this defect decreased again after 2 wk of aging. Aging did not improve the crumbly, weak body caused by frozen storage of high and normal fat cheeses with high moisture.

Mealiness that resulted from the freezing treatment dissipated after 2 wk of aging for normal moisture cheeses and after 8 wk for high moisture cheeses. Meltability was lower after thawing and did not improve with aging. The most acceptable body and texture in frozen and thawed cheeses were normal fat, normal moisture cheeses and high fat, normal moisture cheeses after 8 wk of aging.

The TCA-soluble N increased significantly during frozen storage and also after thawing.

Key Words: Cheddar cheese • freezing • composition • sensory properties

Submitted on May 21, 1993
Accepted on February 4, 1994