Rheological properties of cheddar cheese as influenced by fat reduction and ripening lime

Fat reduction in Cheddar cheese resulted in an increase in viscoelasticity as evidenced by increases in G' and G ''. Proteolysis during ripening led to softening of all cheeses and thus decreases in G' and G '' for cheeses containing 34, 27, and 20% fat. Cheese: with 13% fat showed a decrease in G' upon ripening, but no change in G ''. This lack of change in viscous behavior may be important to the texture of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and overall acceptability. Dynamic rheological testing was helpful in understanding rheological behavior associated with fat reduction in cheese.