Abstract
The effects of heating and freeze-drying on the liberation of free amino acids and texture of Mozzarella cheese were studied. The amounts of 14 kinds of amino acid extracted from the raw cheese were increased by heating at 150°C. In contrast, only a few amino acids were increased by heating at 200°C and 250°C. However, the amounts of 8 kinds of amino acid extracted from the freeze-dried cheese were increased by heating at 200°C. These results imply that proteolysis was responsible for the accumulation free amino acids during heating.
The texture of both the raw and freeze-dried cheese showed decreased softness with increasing heating temperature. The heating temperature had a particular effect on the softness of the freezedried cheese, the softness being significantly decreased by heating at 150°C and higher.
It is suggested that freeze-dried cheese could be used for improving the flavour and taste in cooking without needing a high heating temperature.
