Physical-chemical characteristics of artisanal Minas cheese of the Serro with pingo and with rala

Abstract

The production of the Minas artisanal cheese from Serro is carried out using raw milk, rennet and natural lactic ferment known as pingo. Some producers of the region make use of the rala, a grated part of the own artisanal cheese that is added to the milk in substitution for the pingo. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the type of yeast (pingo or rala) on the physical-chemical characteristics of the Minas artisanal cheese from Serro matured on farms. Handmade cheeses from six producers registered at the Minas Gerais Institute of Agriculture (IMA) were matured at the properties of origin for 31 days. The cheeses were analyzed at the Laboratories of the Food Science and Technology Department of the Southeast IF MG, Campus Pomba Campus at times 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 maturation days. There was a difference (p0.05) between cheeses made with pingo and with rala, for the following physical and chemical parameters: acidity, moisture, protein, fat and fat in the dry extract. More in-depth studies on the maturation conditions of the Minas artisanal cheeses should be better explored so that this product can meet not only the microbial standards, but mainly the sensorial characteristics, which has attracted so much attention of the consumers.

Keywords

• queijo artesanal
• fermento endógeno
• maturação.