Technological, physicochemical and sensory characteristics of a Brazilian semi-hard goat cheese (coalho) with added probiotic lactic acid bacteria

• Published in: Scientia agricola Vol. 69; no. 6; pp. 370 - 379
• Main Authors: Oliveira, Maria Elieidy Gomes de, Garcia, Estefânia Fernandes, Queiroga, Rita de Cássia Ramos do Egypto, Souza, Evandro Leite de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: São Paulo - Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" 01.12.2012; Universidade de São Paulo
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; dairy product; probiotic microorganisms; quality evaluation; quality evaluation; dairy product; probiotic microorganisms
• ISSN: 0103-9016; 1678-992X; 0103-9016; 1678-992X
• DOI: 10.1590/S0103-90162012000600005

Over the past few years, the use of probiotics, which are capable of exerting beneficial effects on the composition of intestinal microbiota, has increased. Cheeses have been suggested as a better carrier of probiotic bacteria than other fermented milk products. The effect of added cultures of probiotic lactic acid bacteria on the quality of a Brazilian goat semi-hard cheese (coalho) was assessed during 21 days of storage at 10 ºC as follows: C1, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. Cremoris (standard cheese); C2, Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA-5); C3, Lactobacillus paracasei (Lactobacillus casei-01); C4, BBifidobacterium lactis (BB12); and C5, L. acidophilus, L. paracasei and B. lactis. Differences in some physico-chemical, experimental texture and proteolysis parameters were found among the assessed cheeses. All of them presented high luminosity (L*) with predominance of the yellow component (b*). Numbers of lactic acid bacteria in the cheeses were greater than 10(7) cfu g-1 during storage. Cheeses with the added probiotic strains alone and in co-culture were better accepted than cheeses without the probiotic strains. It is suggested that goat "coalho" cheese could be a potential carrier of probiotic lactic acid bacteria.