ABSTRACT
Fundamental rheological methods are performed under well-defined and controlled conditions. Though some assumptions about the materials and test methods may be made, calculations of material properties are based on well-defined rheological terms (e.g., strain, stress). Moreover, material properties determined by fundamental methods are independent of the apparatus used for measurements, which allows comparison of data from different research groups (Mitchell, 1984; Shoemaker et al., 1987; Tunick and Nolan, 1992; Tunick, 2000). These fundamental methods help researchers study cheese properties and effects of many manufacturing factors, and eventually develop cheeses with desired and consistent textural and rheological properties. Few reviews have been published on the fundamental rheological methods employed in cheese research (van Vliet, 1991a; Konstance and Holsinger, 1992; Luyten et al., 1992).
