Anisotropy in tensile properties of mozzarella cheese

Effects of sampling direction (parallel or perpendicular to protein fiber orientation), cheese type (low-moisture, part-skim, LMPS and reduced fat, RF) and deformation rate (5 and 25 cm/min) on fracture properties of Mozzarella cheese were determined with tensile tests. The fracture toughness, stress, and strain in the parallel direction were, respectively, 2.8, 2.1 and 1.4 times greater than those in the perpendicular direction. This verified that the Mozzarella cheese had anisotropic tensile properties. A composite-material approach was used to explain the direction-dependent properties. The toughness, stress, and strain values for RF cheese were, respectively, 5.9, 5.4, and 1.3 times those of LMPS cheese. The tensile properties of Mozzarella were also affected by deformation rate.