Evaluation of the qualitative parameters of raw sheep’s milk with the potential for the production of traditional artisanal cheese

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the physicochemical and microbiological profile of indigenous sheep’s milk with the potential for the production of artisanal cheese. The data showed the changes in lactation stages (between April and August) up to 2 hours following manual milk production. The quality of raw milk in the production of brined cheese using traditional technology was assessed. The amount of dry matter was21.36% in April and 19.85% in August at the end of lactation. The fat content from April to August was between 8.62% and 8.03%, preserving the values reported. The protein composition of raw milk varied between 5.52 – 6.61%. In the microbiological evaluation of raw sheep’s milk after milking (35.3°C), the total microbial contamination was in the range of 1.3 x 106 to 1.4 x 106 CFU/mL under current conditions. The results obtained in this paper give rise to more in-depth studies on the application of raw sheep’s milk in the production of traditional artisanal cheeses.