Biochemical Aspects of Syneresis: A Review

Abstract

Syneresis is the process in cheese manufacture whereby the whey component of milk is expelled following curd formation. Factors that interfere with syneresis affect the moisture content and quality of the final product. This article reviews the various reported methods for experimentally measuring syneresis and the effect on syneresis of variables including pH, temperature, salt concentration, milk composition and concentration, and effects of milk pretreatment. A recently developed method for the measurement of syneresis on a small scale has allowed the effect of varying casein composition to be studied. Syneresis is sensitive to the concentration of β-casein and also to low levels of dephosphorylation of β-casein. β-Casein, therefore, seems to play an important role in syneresis and may affect micelle surface properties. Syneresis depends at the protein level on a combination of specific and nonspecific interactions, many of which also occur during curd formation. © 1989, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.