Quantifying blistering and browning properties of Mozzarella cheese. Part II: Cheese with different salt and moisture contents

• Published in: Food research international 2013-11, Vol.54 (1), p.917-921
• Main Authors: Ma, Xixiu, James, Bryony, Balaban, Murat O., Zhang, Lu, Emanuelsson-Patterson, Emma A.C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: baking; Biological and medical sciences; Blistering; Blistering mechanism; blisters; Browning; Cheese; computer vision; fat globules; Food industries; Foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; galactose; heat; image analysis; Machine vision; Microstructure; Moisture; Moisture content; mozzarella cheese; oils; pizza; Pizzas; Salt; salt concentration; temperature; Water activity
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2013.05.029

Blistering and browning are two important properties when baking Mozzarella cheese on pizza. In this study, the blistering and browning of five Mozzarella cheeses with different salt and moisture contents were evaluated using machine vision and image analysis techniques. Cheese attributes, including meltability, free oil, elasticity and stretching properties, composition, water activity and microstructure, were also evaluated. All Mozzarella samples had similar browning appearances, due to their similar galactose contents. Mozzarella cheeses with higher salt concentration had relatively smaller fat globules and lower water activity, thus higher transition temperature, and elastic and stretching resistances which resulted in smaller blisters on the pizza. It was proposed that cheese with higher transition temperature had a shorter time to flow, and the elastic and stretching resistances of the melted cheese restrained the size of the blisters and impeded the growth of the blisters during heating. •Mozzarella cheeses were made with different salt or moisture contents.•These cheeses had similar residual sugar contents, and thus similar browning.•Cheese with higher salt had smaller fat globules and lower water activity.•Transition temperature, elastic and stretching parameters affected size of blisters.•Smaller blisters were produced on Mozzarella with higher salt contents.