Small-scale manufacture of process cheese using a rapid visco analyzer

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Dairy Processing
• Rheology

Background:

• Numerous formulation and processing parameters significantly influence the functional properties of process cheese.
• A recently developed small-scale rapid visco analyzer (RVA) method for process cheese analysis showed functional property differences compared to pilot-scale manufacturing.
• Significant discrepancies existed between small-scale RVA and pilot-scale manufacturing of process cheese functional properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate adjustments in the RVA methodology for small-scale process cheese manufacturing and analysis.
• To improve the correlation between small-scale RVA-produced process cheese and pilot-scale manufactured process cheese.
• To validate the RVA as a tool for predicting process cheese functional properties and evaluating formulation/processing effects.

Main Methods:

• Fourteen pasteurized processed cheese food (PCF) samples were manufactured from 14 different natural cheese preblends, balanced for moisture, fat, and salt.
• Each preblend was divided into three portions for manufacturing: one pilot-scale Blentech twin screw (BTS) cooker batch and two RVA batches with different processing profiles.
• PCF samples were analyzed for moisture, functional properties (texture profile analysis, RVA melt analysis), time of emulsification, and end apparent viscosity.

Main Results:

• The functional properties of PCF manufactured using the adjusted RVA treatments showed good correlation with pilot-scale produced PCF.
• End apparent viscosity during RVA manufacture was found to correlate with the final functional properties of the process cheese.
• The adjusted RVA methodology successfully produced process cheese with functionality similar to that produced in the pilot-scale BTS cooker.

Conclusions:

• The RVA, with adjusted methodology, can serve as a reliable small-scale tool for predicting process cheese functional properties.
• This method allows for effective evaluation of how various formulations and processing parameters impact process cheese functionality.
• The refined RVA technique bridges the gap between small-scale analysis and pilot-scale production, ensuring comparable results.