VISCOELASTIC PROPERTIES OF REDUCED-FAT AND FULL-FAT CHEDDAR CHEESES

Viscoelastic properties of cheeses with and without 0.2% or 0.5% (w/w) lecithin were studied using oscillatory dynamic experiments and creep tests. Elastic and loss moduli of reduced-fat cheese with lecithin we re greater (p < 0.01) than reduced-fat cheese without lecithin, but le ss (p < 0.01) than these values for full-fat cheese. In creep/recovery tests, the residual strain of full-fat cheese, reduced-fat cheese wit h 0.5% or 0.2% lecithin, and reduced-fat cheese without lecithin were 7.8, 7.9, 8.1, and 15.4%, respectively. There was good agreement in te rms of compliance behavior of the four types of cheese between experim ental data and prediction by the generalized Kelvin model with six ele ments.