Movement of moisture in refrigerated cheese samples transferred to room temperature

When cheese samples refrigerated at 4 degreesC in 120 mt plastic tubs were transferred to room temperature at 23 degreesC, moisture began to move from the warmer surface to the cooler interior; the difference after 1 h was 0. 2-0.4%. Others had observed that moisture moved from the interior of warmer blocks of cheese to the cooler surface during cooling at the end of cheese manufacture. In loosely packed cheese prepared for analysis, part of the m oisture movement may have been due to evaporation from the warmer surface a nd condensation on the cooler cheese. It is recommended that cheese be prep ared for analysis immediately before weighing, Cheese samples that have bee n refrigerated, as in interlaboratory trials, should also be remixed or pre pared again.