Examination of Full Fat and Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese during Ripening by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

The Fourier transform infrared spectra of reduced fat Cheddar cheese and full fat Cheddar cheese during ripening were examined. A suitable sampling procedure was used to obtain the spectra of cheese samples. The spectra were affected by the moisture contents of the samples, but this effect could be eliminated by equilibration of the sample for at least 10 min before data collection. Strong and well-separated bands at 1744, 1450, 1240, 1170, and 1115 cm^-1 arising from fat were observed in the frozen samples. The bands observed at 1650 and 1540 cm^-1 were attributed to the protein contents of the cheese samples. The absorption intensities of protein and fat bands corresponded to the amounts of protein and fat that were present in the samples. Distinct changes in the bands of fat and protein of reduced fat and full fat cheese samples occurred during ripening. This technique could provide a basis for a rapid characterization and determination of the age of cheese undergoing ripening.