A study was made of the impact of nonuniform moisture distribution in 290 k
g blocks of cheese on the accuracy of sampling the cheese for moisture cont
ent, The range of moisture from center to outside surfaces of the blocks wa
s about 5%, The temperature gradient, developed in the first 24-48 h after
cheese making, drove the moisture migration from warm to cold areas in the
cheese blocks during initial cooling. The moisture gradient from center to
outside of each block, the non-symmetrical nature of the gradient, and the
actual length of the core sample all contributed to random and systemic err
or in sampling within a single cheese plant. It was concluded that average
moisture differences from vat to vat in a factory were small, and large var
iations in moisture tests were due to sampling errors.