Mechanical and Viscoelastic Properties of Mozzarella Cheese

The aim of this study is to determine the mechanical properties and the viscoelastic characteristics of the mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk. Mozzarella cheese has a characteristic structure as the curd undergoes a stretching process in hot water that leads to the formation of a fibrous structure. This affects the number, strength and type of bond between the protein molecules that form the basis for the rheological properties exhibited. The mechanical properties and the viscoelastic characteristics of buffalo mozzarella were measured in the present study. Uniaxial compression tests between parallel plates with an extra 5.8 cm compression were carried out in cheese cubes of 2 cm edge in order to estimate Peleg model parameters such as the compressive stress, deformation modulus, degree of elasticity and A and B constants. Cheese cubes were compressed and decompressed at a deformation rate of 20 cm/min up to 40% of their height through a complete compression-decompression cycle. For a compression area of 4.0×10 -4 m 2 a maximum compressive strength of 28.0±3 N, a compressive stress of 7.0×10 4 Pa and a deformation modulus of E D = 175.0 kPa were obtained. The degree of elasticity was 73.0±8.5%, which indicates that mozzarella cheese has a very elastic texture. The values for A and B constants of the Peleg model were as follows: A = 0.83 and B = 0.11. Buffalo mozzarella exhibitselastic recovery levels suitable for technological use, as well as viscoelastic solid properties.