Cheese Rheology
Rheology is a branch of physics which revolves around the study of the deformation of the flow of matter. As one physicist explained, "Rheology is the study of the flow of materials that behave in an interesting or unusual manner. Oil and water flow in familiar, normal ways, whereas mayonnaise, peanut butter, chocolate, bread dough, and Silly Putty flow in complex and unusual ways. In rheology, we study the flows of unusual materials" (Morrison). For example, given the wide variety of the composition and structure of different varieties of cheese, from hard cheeses to soft cheeses, two different kinds of cheese are likely to have very different rheology.
The compressive vigor of a cheese is valued via the cheese's uniaxial compressive stress which is reached when a cheese fails during a compression test, with a uniaxial compressive load used. In a word: "large strain uniaxial compression indirectly measures shear behavior. Mohr's circle a construction widely used in the analysis of the strength of materials, enables the shear and compression stresses (up to the fracture point)...
This is an accepted way to measure normal and shear stresses when one is working with a sample of cheese that's undergoing uniaxial compression. It's not the only way, however, to measure these elements.
When it comes to the cheese at hand, Jarlsberg, its structure after analysis was as follows:
Fat
Protein
6.38 x TN
Moisture
NaCl
Milk Ash
L-lactic acid
D-lactic acid
TOTAL
28.8
27.7
38.9
1.3
2.3
0.0
0.5
99
This clearly indicates a cheese that has an overall moderate composition. It is neither to milky or too moist or too fatty or overly acidic, giving it a modest total of 99, just under 100. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Jarlsberg has a strain at fracture of 0.74. What's notable is that the one of other cheese that has a comparable…
