45H-3 |
Design of a specific starter culture for the production of Fresco cheese |
B. VALLEJO-CORDOBA1, M. J. Torres-Llanez2, A. F. Gonzalez-Cordova2, and M. A. Mazorra-Manzano2. (1) Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos de Origen Animal, Centro de Investigacion en Alimentacion y Desarrollo, A.C. (CIAD, A.C.), Carretera a la Victoria Km 0.6, P.O. Box 1735, Hermosillo, Sonora, 83000, Mexico, (2) Mexico Fresco cheese or Queso Fresco is the most popular variety consumed in Mexico and in other Latin American countries. It is also the most popular Hispanic-style cheese consumed in the United States. Traditionally, it is made with raw milk:; however, its high moisture content, near neutral pH and absence of starter cultures makes this cheese an unsafe product. To solve this problem, an alternative would be to produce Fresco cheese from pasteurized milk using non-specific starters. However, the use of such starters means that the organoleptic quality of the product bear little relation to those of its traditional counterpart. There is thus increasing interest in the development of specific indigenous starters for use in the manufacture of traditional-type cheeses that would allow the making of a uniform safe product of constant quality. The objectives of this work were to characterize and isolate the indigenous native microflora from the traditional cheese, to design specific starter cultures and to prepare Queso Fresco using these starters. Four cheese batches were prepared following traditional practices. The microflora of the four batches was monitored over time and the chemical composition of the samples was determined. Native lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated, identified and selected for their inclusion in the specific starters. Cheeses were made by pasteurizing milk using six different specific starters and their flavor and texture were compared with the traditional cheese. Most prevalent and abundant LAB were: Lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis, Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus casei. Queso Fresco made with a specific starter culture containing the first two LAB was not significantly different (p ³0.01) from the traditional cheese made from raw milk. Queso Fresco made from pasteurized milk and the specific starter designed in this work, allowed the making of a uniform safe product of organoleptic qualities equivalent to its traditional counterpart.
Session 45H, International: General
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