PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF HANDCRAFTED CANASTRA MINAS CHEESE

Abstract

In order to obtain informations to increase the knowledgements about the artisan cheese and its relationship with the region it is made in, 120 rural farms within the Canastra micro region were visited. Samples of cheeses were collected in two period of the year (wet and dry), in every county of the Canastra region, taking technological differences into consideration. It was observed that cheeses presented differences in physic-chemical and chemical propert ies. Contents of both chlorides and lactic acids, along with extension of proteolysis were the parameters with the highest variation coefficients. The Minas cheese, hand made in the Canastra micro region, State of Minas Gerais, .presented high variation coefficient in all sensory properties, being the "pingo" (natural starter culture) responsible for the invariable sensory profile of the cheeses in different per iod of analysi s. It was veri fied that , in the micro region, exi st handcrafted cheeses with di fferent character ist ics of product ion, physic, physic-chemical and chemical pat terns as well . Moreover, the interrelationship of those characteristics might be used as an important tool to establ i sh or study patterns of handcrafted cheeses.