Water behaviour in processed cheese spreads

The behaviour of water in two processed cheese spreads, either standard or cream-enriched, was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the −50 to 45 °C temperature range as a function of controlled dehydration. The results were analyzed and related to cheese microstructures observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Water freezing and subsequent ice melting were found to be dependent on the cheese composition in hydrophilic components and on water confinement within the micro-domains delimited by the fat droplets. Both cheeses exhibited partial water freezing from supercooling state while ice nucleation process was shown to be tightly affected by water connectivity within the cheese matrices.