Influence of the type of ferment in the physicochemical characteristics of cheese Minas artisanal do Serro – Minas Gerais, ripened in controlled conditions

Abstract

In the production of the Minas Gerais artisanal cheese from Serro, raw milk, rennet and natural lactic culture are used, called “pingo”. Some producers in the Serro region make use of the “rala”, a grated part of the artisanal cheese itself, with 3-5 days of manufacture, which is added to milk instead of “pingo”. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the type of culture (“pingo”. or “rala”) on the physicochemical characteristics of the Minas Gerais artisanal cheese from Serro, matured under controlled temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions. Artisanal cheeses from six producers from the Serro region, registered at the Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA), three made with “pingo” and three with “rala”, were matured without packaging in a maturation chamber with an average RH of 85% and a temperature of 20 ^oC for 31 days at the Cooperativa dos Productores Rurais do Serro. The analyzes were performed at times 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 days of maturation. For the parameters of moisture content, acidity, fat content, fat in the dry extract, ash, sodium chloride, salt in the humidity and indices of extension of maturation, there was no difference (p > 0.05) between cheeses made with “pingo” and “rala”. The high temperatures and relative air humidity used in the maturation were not suitable for the Serro artisanal cheese maturation, since they modified the physical and chemical characteristics of the product.