Hedonic perception and preference analysis of double cream cheeses formulated with raw and pasteurized milk

Abstract

Objective: To compare the characteristics of double cream cheeses made with raw and pasteurized milk per liking and preference level. Design/Methodology/Approach: Cheeses from three brands were evaluated: Santa Teresa, Montero, and Colegio de Postgraduados (CP). The first two cheeses were formulated with raw milk, while the CP cheese was formulated with pasteurized milk inoculated with lactic cultures. The hedonic perception study was carried out in monadic series with 19 volunteers who blind tasted the three types of cheese. The evaluation attributes were: appearance, taste, aroma, and general acceptability on a 9-point scale; and saltiness, acidity, and creaminess on a 3-point scale (JAR). Preferences were evaluated by rank and multiple comparison tests. Results: No differences were found in the aroma, taste, and texture liking level of the cheeses (p>0.05); nevertheless, there were differences in the appearance and general acceptance (p˂0.05). The general acceptance of the CP cheese was significantly lower than that of the two raw milk cheeses (p˂0.05). The penalty analysis showed that low acidity and low creaminess attributes are related to a low general acceptance (p˂0.05). Limitations/Implications: The study has enough evaluations for statistical tests. Findings/Conclusions: Raw milk cheeses obtained the highest marks in all attributes. Determining if there are other sensory attributes —in addition to those that were the subject of this study— will help to explain the greater preference and global acceptance of raw milk cheeses.