Three-Dimensional Characteristics of Fat Globules in Cheddar Cheese

¹ Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 460 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706

The microstructure of 1-mo-old Cheddar cheese samples of different fat contents was observed with confocal laser scanning microscopy. An observation depth of 40 µm was used with a 0.5-µm distance between observation planes, which resulted in 81 sequential, two-dimensional layered images of the samples. These images were digitally reconstructed using a digital image processing algorithm we developed in 1998. Both two- and three-dimensional image analyses were performed to evaluate number, size, and shape characteristics of fat globules in the samples. Because fat globules are three-dimensional, two-dimensional views are affected by the viewing direction and location of the sample. Therefore, three-dimensional analysis provided more accurate characterization of fat globule properties than did the two-dimensional analysis. Because of limited observation depth, however, many of views of the large fat globules were cropped by the image boundaries. These globules were not easily used for overall property characterization.

Key Words: Cheddar cheese • fat globule • image analysis • confocal laser scanning microscopy

Submitted on September 23, 1998
Accepted on May 3, 1999

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. S. Joshi, K. Muthukumarappan, and R. I. Dave Effect of Calcium on Microstructure and Meltability of Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese J Dairy Sci, July 1, 2004; 87(7): 1975 - 1985. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]