Crystallization and demineralization phenomena in washed-rind cheese.

This report documents an observational study of a high-moisture washed-rind cheese. Three batches of cheese were sampled on a weekly basis for 6 wk and again at wk 10. Center, under-rind, rind, and smear samples were tested for pH, moisture, and selected mineral elements. Powder x-ray diffractometry and petrographic microscopy were applied to identify and image the crystal phases. The pH of the rind increased by over 2 pH units by wk 10. The pH of the under-rind increased but remained below the rind pH, whereas the center pH decreased for most of aging and only began to rise after wk 5. Diffractograms of smear material revealed the presence of 4 crystal phases: brushite, calcite, ikaite, and struvite. The phases nucleated in succession over the course of aging, with calcite and ikaite appearing around the same time. A very small amount of brushite appeared sporadically in center and under-rind samples, but otherwise no other crystallization was observed beneath the rind. Micrographs revealed that crystals in the smear grew to over 250 µm in length by wk 10, and at least 2 different crystal phases, probably ikaite and struvite, could be differentiated by their different optical properties. The surface crystallization was accompanied by a mineral diffusion phenomenon that resulted, on average, in a 217, 95.7, and 149% increase in calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, respectively, in the rind by wk 10. The diffusion phenomenon caused calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium to decrease, on average, by 55.0, 21.5, and 36.3%, respectively, in the center by wk 10. The present study represents the first observation of crystallization and demineralization phenomena in washed-rind cheese.

Crystallization and demineralization phenomena in stabilized white mold cheese.

Stabilized white mold cheese is a commercially important variant of traditional white mold cheese (sometimes called bloomy rind cheese) that has an extended shelf life compared with the traditional permutation. The objectives of this observational study were to document mineral element movements and the development of a pH gradient in stabilized white mold cheese, and to use novel crystallographic techniques to identify crystals that form in the rind of this cheese. Cheeses from 3 separate batches were collected from a commercial supplier at d 1, 4, 10, 14, and 18 of aging and analyzed in a randomized block design. Samples from the center and rind of each cheese were analyzed for calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and moisture content. The effect of location within the cheese wheel was significant for all effects, whereas the effect of aging time was significant for all effects except sodium content. The interaction between location within the cheese and aging time was significant for all effects. Using powder x-ray diffractometry, the crystals that formed in the rind during aging were identified as brushite (CaHPO4 · 2H2O). The accumulation of mineral elements in the rind resulted in a substantial decrease in calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus in the center. After 18 d, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus in the center had decreased by 26.4, 14.8, and 12.1%, respectively, compared with the first day of aging. The observations in the present study represent the first definitive identification of crystals in the rind of a white mold cheese. The use of novel crystallographic techniques in the present study lays the groundwork for the use of this technology in future investigations of mineral element diffusion phenomena in surface-ripened cheese.