Use of a spiral adapter in the characterization of commercial cream cheeses

The rheological characteristics of two brands of commercially available cre am cheese products with regular light, and fat-free formulations were studi ed at 21 degrees C +/- 1 degrees C. Using the Brookfield Viscometer DVII+ w ith the Brookfield spiral adapter shear stress data were obtained for the s hear rate range 0.34 s(-1) to 67.7 s(-1). Data were fitted using the Hersch el-Bulkley and Bingham Plastic Models and the flow curve parameters determi ned. Results demonstrate the practical value of using a simple rheological method to detect differences due to formulation.