Effect of drying and storage on the rheological characteristics of mozzarella cheese

Rheological properties of stress relaxation and bending of 1 cm dried Mozzarella cheese cubes were investigated at drying temperatures of 20, 25, and 30°C. Changes in water activity were predicted using isotherm curves at each temperature based on the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship. Instantaneous and residual stresses, obtained from stress relaxation testing, increased from 289.1 to 382.2 kPa and from 137.2 to 223.6 kPa, respectively, as the drying temperature increased from 20 to 30°C. Mozzarella cheese was cut into stick shapes and dried at 20°C for 5 h, then the bending force was measured at 5°C during 5 weeks. Failure stress and modulus of elasticity values of dried stick-shaped Mozzarella cheese were increased during the storage period at 5°C. Only hardness values among sensory evaluations of dried cheese significantly (p<0.05) increased as the storage time increased.