The aim of the study was to prepare mathematical models based on the Arrhenius equation as predictive tools for the assessment of changes in quality parameters during the storage of spreadable Gouda cheese at temperatures of 8, 20 and 30 °C. The activation energy value and the chemical reaction rate constant enabled the construction of kinetic models, which helped to estimate the direction and rate of changes. Moreover, the activation energy (Ea) of the quality parameters was used to determine the sequence of their vulnerability during storage. The value of activation energy corresponding to temperature changes resulted in the following order of susceptibility of the quality parameters: ΔC > ΔE ≈ water activity > texture parameters > pH > colour > sensory parameters > rheological parameters. The research showed limited applicability of the mathematical models for estimation of quality parameters referring to spreadable processed Gouda cheese.
Keywords: Arrhenius equation; Kinetic models; Processed cheese; Shelf-life modelling.