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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Fat-Water Phantoms for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Validation: A Flexible and Scalable Protocol
Published on: September 7, 2018
The state of water and fat during the maturation of Cheddar cheese
Yangyi Chen1, William MacNaughtan1, Paul Jones2
1Division of Food Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK.
Abstract:
Cheddar cheese predicted to develop into different quality classes has been evaluated by time domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Thermogravimetric analysis and quantitative sensory analysis. The water and fat proton signals in the transverse relaxation decay curves have been deconvoluted. Proton transverse relaxation values for both the water and fat fractions decrease and the relative %age of the proton peak area, predominantly from the fat increases over a 450-day ripening period. The thermodynamic free water percentage increases during maturation. Water and fat attributes can distinguish between Cheddar cheese batches after 56 days. Cheese batches which have lower transverse relaxation values for the water and fat proton fractions and a higher relative %age of the proton peak area predominantly from fat at 56 days, mature after 270 days to be more yellow, rubbery and smooth, have a less sour and lingering aftertaste and are also harder to form into a cheese ball.
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