An appraisal of the impact of compositional and ripening parameters on CO2 diffusivity in semi-hard cheese

• Published in: Food chemistry 2016-03, Vol.194, p.1172-1179
• Main Authors: Acerbi, F., Guillard, V., Guillaume, C., Saubanere, M., Gontard, N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon dioxide; Carbon Dioxide - chemistry; Cheese - analysis; Chemical Sciences; Diffusivity; Food Handling; Proteins - chemistry; Ripening parameters; Semi-hard cheese; Sodium Chloride - analysis; Temperature
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.08.020

•CO2 diffusivity significantly decreased with increasing salt content (0–2.7% w/w).•CO2 diffusivity significantly increased with ripening time (2–8weeks).•CO2 diffusivity was found to be isotropic in relation to the cheese pressing axis.•CO2 diffusivity and solubility coefficient in semi-hard cheese were not related. This study focuses on CO2 diffusivity, which is one of the most important factors impacting eye growth in semi-hard cheese, but yet has scarcely been investigated in literature. The effect of compositional and ripening parameters on experimental CO2 diffusivity in semi-hard cheese was studied. CO2 diffusivity in semi-hard cheese showed a complex relationship with temperature in the range 4–25°C, represented by a quadratic curve with the highest diffusivity at 13°C. Salt was found to impact CO2 diffusivity, with a decrease of about 60% for 0–2.7% w/w salt addition, which may be ascribed to viscosity increase of the cheese matrix and “salting in” effect of protein. CO2 diffusivity was found to increase with moisture content from 39% to 42% w/w, then it decreased from 42% to 48% w/w. Inevitable changes in protein content of the three cheese variants may be responsible for the complex behaviour observed.