Dynamic in situ microstructure evaluation of cheese melting: Understanding structure-rheological relationships under controlled temperature sweeps

This study assessed the changes in processed and natural cheese during heating from 5 to 95 °C, at 2 °C per min, using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), Raman micro-spectroscopy and rheological analysis. The CLSM images showed that the cheese samples varied in fat droplet size and distribution. CLSM micrographs of processed cheese with lower fat content (<10%) showed no substantial structural changes during heating, which were consistent with the absence of cross-over in temperature rheology sweep curves. Cheese containing starch showed uniformly distributed fat and cohesive protein network, leading to reduced cheese flow. At temperatures > 70 °C, cheeses with a fat content ≥ 25% showed greater coalescence of fat globules, which finally merged into large fat pools. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of dynamic in situ CLSM and rheological analysis for evaluating the changes in cheese matrices during heating. The Raman spectral region corresponding to C-H stretching vibrations (2800–3000 cm^-1) could be used to track fat melting in cheese samples with minimum 10% fat.