Conventional or blast freezing prior to frozen storage to preserve properties of fiordilatte cheese

The objective of this study is to compare the effects of conventional (−18 °C) and blast freezing (−50 °C) applied prior to frozen storage on two types of fiordilatte cheeses varying only in size, 30 and 250 g, respectively. The samples were analyzed before freezing and after 15, 30, 45, and 60 days of frozen storage. The samples were thawed at 4 ± 1 °C and subjected to X-ray microtomography, microbial analysis, pH determination, and sensory evaluation. Results highlight that significant changes occurred after freezing at both micro- and macrostructural levels and cheese size also plays a key role in the final quality perception. The two types of freezing affected in different ways the product characteristics, but these differences are significant when the size of product is small; as a fact, the blast freezing promoted creation of small ice crystals with minimum dislocation of water, thus giving a 30 g cheese product with better quality after defrosting. Practical applications Fresh cheese as fiordilatte is characterized from a very short shelf life; therefore, the individuation on new preservation techniques, effective, and easy to be applied at industrial level, can found great attention from the industrial sector. Results from current work are interesting because representing the first attempt to suggest a novel preservation strategy and its effects on product quality.