Chapter 8: Cheese Microstructure

Cheese is a nutrient rich dairy product, and it is of great significance to fully describe its textural, functional, and flavour properties that impact its quality. These properties are extensively influenced by the microstructure. For instance, the functional properties are particularly important for cheeses used in pizza, i.e., stretching, melting, browning, free oil development, and expressible moisture. The prediction and consequent control of these properties demands knowledge of the spatial distribution of the components of cheese and how they interact and change during ripening. This chapter reviews the study of the microstructure of cheeses and the recent advancements in visualization technologies.