MEASURING ELONGATIONAL PROPERTIES OF MOZZARELLA CHEESE

A vertical uniaxial extension apparatus was developed for determining elongational properties of Mozzarella cheese over the course of one mo nth of refrigerated storage. Cheese specimens suspended in hot oil (60 C) first underwent melting and then stretching under the influence of a constant force. Samples did not break even after 400% extension. Str ain rate and sample temperature both increased during a test. Transien t elongational (TE) viscosity of Mozzarella cheese decreased with incr easing strain rate and sample temperature. Proteolysis of caseins in M ozzarella, determined by gel electrophoresis, did not alter its TE vis cosity to an extent measurable by our method.