Kinetics of syneresis in fresh goat cheese

Control of the syneresis process is a key step for increasing the curd yiel d and improving cheese quality. The objective of this study is to determine the kinetics of the syneresis process, since there are few references in t he bibliography consulted, and some of which seem to be contradictory. In t his study several methods of calculation and graphic analysis are applied t o data obtained through gravimetric drainage of the curd, which shows that the syneresis is governed by first-order kinetics. One of the methods teste d allows the calculation of velocity constants consistently adjusted to the syneresis process, and is also valid for analysing the release velocity of whey components such as protein, fat, lactose and dry matter. Results deri ved from the release rate of whey components can improve our knowledge abou t the flow of material during the syneresis process.