RESEARCH ON THE VISCO-ELASTIC BEHAVIOUR OF SOME VARIETIES OF CHEESE WITH MOLD, RIPENED UNDER SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

Mold-ripened cheeses exhibit complex mechanical behavior, influenced by factors such as degree of ripening, water content, fat content, and type of mold (white or blue). This study explored the viscoelastic behavior of four types of mold-ripened cheeses to highlight their physicochemical properties, taking into consideration that the viscoelasticity influences their texture, stability and behavior during storage and processing. Analyzing the local pressures applied to the cheese samples, for a contact surface with the cheese samples of approximately 51.5 mm², the pressure levels vary between 40 kPa (for Roquefort cheese) and 50 kPa (for Dorblu cheese); the pressure for the other two types of cheese falls within this range. The data obtained from this study confirmed that penetration resistance and yield stress values provide valuable information in cheese production, in particular for the texture and firmness of cheeses at various stages of the manufacturing process