Moisture nonuniformity and sampling errors in large cheddar cheese blocks

Abstract

A study was made of the impact of nonuniform moisture distribution in 290 kg blocks of cheese on the accuracy of sampling the cheese for moisture content. The range of moisture from center to outside surfaces of the blocks was about 5%. The temperature gradient, developed in the first 24-48 h after cheese making, drove the moisture migration from warm to cold areas in the cheese blocks during initial cooling. The moisture gradient from center to outside of each block, the non-symmetrical nature of the gradient, and the actual length of the core sample all contributed to random and systemic error in sampling within a single cheese plant. It was concluded that average moisture differences from vat to vat in a factory were small, and large variations in moisture tests were due to sampling errors.