Three-Dimensional Characteristics of Fat Globules in Cheddar Cheese

The microstructure of 1-mo-old Cheddar cheese samples of different fat contents was observed with confocal laser scanning microscopy.An observation depth of 40 μm was used with a 0.5-μm distance between observation planes, which resulted in 81 sequential, two-dimensional layered images of the samples.These images were digitally reconstructed using a digital image processing algorithm we developed in 1998.Both two-and three-dimensional image analyses were performed to evaluate number, size, and shape characteristics of fat globules in the samples.Because fat globules are threedimensional, two-dimensional views are affected by the viewing direction and location of the sample.Therefore, three-dimensional analysis provided more accurate characterization of fat globule properties than did the two-dimensional analysis.Because of limited observation depth, however, many of views of the large fat globules were cropped by the image boundaries.These globules were not easily used for overall property characterization.