Rolling-sphere viscometer for structured liquids

A viscometric study of the breakdown of casein in milk by rennin and rennet

In the later stages of the reaction between rennin and casein drastic viscometric methods are undesirable, but in the first stages there is a fall in viscosity which may be satisfactorily measured in an Ostwald viscometer. Using fat-free milk, the viscosity at first falls linearly with time. At low rennet concentrations (Ce) this may be said to constitute a zero-order reaction (constant k0). At higher rennet concentrations and after longer times, the reaction passes to first order (constant k1). After very long times it doubtless becomes more complex.

The values of k0 are proportional, over a considerable range, to the milk concentration (Cm), those of k1 being independent of Cm.

For pure rennin k0 and k1 are proportional to Ce, but for commercial rennets they vary as a power (N) of Ce and the value of N appears to measure the rennin purity. The potentialities of the method for assessing rennet activities are also discussed.

If the reduced viscosity (specific viscosity÷Cm) of fat-free milks is plotted against Cm, good straight lines are obtained which may be extrapolated to zero concentration to give a reliable value of intrinsic viscosity. The intrinsic viscosity falls progressively during the protein breakdown process but the slope of the curves (‘second order term’) remains unchanged.

Intermicellar relationships in rennet-treated separated milk: II. Process of gel assembly

The aggregation of casein micelles in milk by the action of rennet, examined by electron microscopy and viscometry, was correlated with visually-observed coagulation. The spatial relationships between micelles were quantified from measurements made on micrographs. Aggregation did not start until about 60% of the rennet-clotting time, when the enzymic action was almost complete. The micelles tended to form chains which then linked into a loose network. This became more extensive with time as the average size of the aggregates increased. By the clotting time, most micelles were in contact with another and a network was beginning to form. Initially, micelles probably linked by bridges. These then appeared to contract, bringing the particles into contact and eventually causing partial fusion.

Rennet-Induced Milk Coagulation by Continuous Steady Shear Stress

The effect of continuous steady shear stress (CSSS) on rennet-induced coagulation of milk was studied by measuring the change in viscosity of the system with time. Continuous shear stress (< or =0.5 Pa) applied during coagulation did not counteract the network formation at standard cheese-making conditions. In fact, CSSS of 0.2 Pa promoted coagulation by possibly increasing diffusion, collision, and hydrolization rates due to near-field, attractive hydrodynamic reactions. This was evidenced by the high viscosity of the resultant coagulum. However, the viscosity profile of the coagulum formed in the presence of CSSS followed the same trend as that formed in the absence of CSSS. Viscosity versus time profiles in both cases displayed an initial lag phase followed by a steady increase until a plateau value. The viscosity plateau reached under CSSS was marked with several sudden peaks, indicating the dynamic structure of the coagulum. These peaks in viscosity profiles began to appear after about 1380 s since rennet addition at standard cheese-making conditions. The time at which viscosity first exceeds 40 kPa s was verified to coincide with manual determination of the time at which the coagulum is cut (i.e., cutting time) during cheese making.