As the texture or body of a cheese contributes greatly to its identity and
quality, the present study aimed to define an instrumental texture profile
for a typical semi-hard Italian cheese (Montasio) using elasticity, hardnes
s, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness parameters, determined with an Ins
tron Universal Testing Machine. The experimental work involved fifteen typi
cal Montasio cheeses produced in north-east Italy from unpasteurised cow mi
lk, according to the genuine traditional method. The texture profiles were
drawn in a 5 axis radar diagram in which each axis represented a single tex
ture parameter. The parameter values were standardised by assigning 10 scal
e units to the maximum value measured and calculating the respective value
for the confidence interval. The areas between the confidence limits repres
ented the typical texture profile for 60 day-old Montasio cheese.