Freezing‐induced changes in goat cheese: Effect of freezing rate, storage and freeze–thaw cycles

Abstract

This study compared the effect of various freezing set‐ups [freezing in the walk‐in freezer (WF), blast freezing and liquid nitrogen freezing (LNF)] on the textural properties of goat cheeses. The influences of freeze–thaw cycles (1, 3 and 5) and storage time (1, 7 and 14 days) at 4°C on the hardness and visual appearance were investigated. The results showed that freezing damaged the cheese structure, particularly for WF. Frozen samples were not suitable for 4°C storage. Freeze–thaw cycles further damaged the texture of both cheese logs and crumbles, resulting in increased dryness. The development of the dry structure was faster for the LNF‐treated sample.