Effects of Freezing and Thawing Green Curds Before Processing on the Rheological Properties of Cream Cheese

The rheological and proton pulsed NMR properties of cream cheese made from the green curds frozen and thawed were measured to determine the quantitative relationship between the freezing and thawing rates of the curds and the textural changes of the cream cheese. The hardness of the cream cheese decreased significantly as the thawing rate of the curds decreased, whereas the freezing injury was the minor source of the damage on the hardness. The bound but not free water in the cheese characterized these textural changes.