S obzirom da je ambalaža važan faktor u očuvanju kvaliteta tvrdih sireva, cilj ovog istraživanja je proučavanje uticaja ambalažnih materijala i uslova pakovanja na promene konfekcioniranog Kačkavalja. Kačkavalj je sir mediteranskog porekla, a nedovoljno je proučen sa aspekta uticaja ambalaže. U okviru istraživanja izvršena su ispitivanja nekoliko ambalažnih materijala domaće proizvodnje i jednog uvoznog ambalažnog materijala, koji se koristi za pakovanje konfek- cioniranih sireva. Za odabrane ambalažne materijale određeni su IC spektri, barijerna i fizičko-mehanička svojstva kvalitet formiranja ambalaže i koncentracije gasova u ambalaži. Barijerna svojstva, odnosno propustljivosti vodene pare i gasova su osnovna svojstva plastičnih ambalažnih materijala, koja regulišu razmenu gasova i vodene pare između sira i okoline, utičući time na tok i intenzitet biohemijskih procesa u siru. Barijerna svojstva takođe omogućavaju i primenu različitih uslova pakovanja, kao što su vakuum ili modifikovana atmosfera. Kačkavalj upakovan u ambalažne materijale dobrih barijernih svojstava, odnosno niske propustljivosti gasova, posebno kiseonika, i vodene pare, imao je najniži sadržaj peroksida, najmanji gubitak mase, najbolja senzorna svojstva, najmanju tvrdoću, izraženu silom kompresije, kao i drugačiju distribuciju isparljivih komponenata arome, u odnosu na sir upakovan u ambalažne materijale lošijih barijernih svojstava. Na osnovu ostvarene zaštite upakovanog Kačkavalja, izdvojili su se, pored uvoznog ambalažnog materijala i domaći ambalažni materijali polipropilen lakiran sa PVDC/polietilen i poliamid/polietilen. Od primenjenih uslova pakovanja najbolji zaštitni efekat pokazalo je pakovanje pod vakuumom.The packaging is of great importance for the quality of preservation of hard cheeses, so the aim of the investigations was to determine the influence of packaging materials and packing conditions on the changes of consumer-size packaged hard cheese variety, Kashkaval. Kashkaval originates from Mediterranean area and is insufficiently studied from the aspect of packaging effect. Several domestic and one imported packaging material which have been used for the packing of consumer-size cheeses were investigated. Infra-red spectra, barrier and physico-mechanical characteristics, quality of formed packaging and concentration of gases in the packaging were determined. The barrier characteristics, i.e. the water vapour and gases permability are the basic characteristics of packaging materials which regulate the exchange of gases and water vapour between the chesse and environment, this affecting the flow and intensity of biochemical changes in the cheese. The barrier characteristics enable the application of different packing conditions, like vacuum of modified atmosphere. It was found that Kashkaval cheese packed in packaging materials of good barrier characteristics, i.e. low gases permeability, especially exygen and water vapour, had the lowest peroxides content, lowest mass loss, best sensory characteristics, lowest hardness expressed as the compression force, as well as different distribution of volatile aroma components compared to cheese packed in materials of worse barrier characteristics. On the basis of the achieved protection of packed Kashkaval, the domestic packaging materials polypropylen lacquered with PVDC/polyethylene and polyamid/polyethylene in addition to the imported packaging material were outatanding. The packing under vacuum exibited the best protecting effect
