Chemical and physico-chemical changes in processed cheese and ready-made fondue during storage: A review

Abstract

Processed cheese is often expected to be a stable product with a very long shelf-life. However, even products without any bacteriological contamination retain their high quality only for a few months at room temperature. During storage, structure and flavour slowly change. The following possible causes for such changes are reviewed in the present paper: loss of water vapour, hydrolysis of polyphosphates, changes in ionic equilibria, crystal formation, oxidation, nonenzymic browning, enzymatic activity as well as interactions with packaging materials. The changes with age of processed cheese are influenced by four main factors: product composition, processing, packaging and storage conditions (time and temperature). No work about the changes with age of ready-made fondue appears to have been published. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.