Impact of the preservation methods of sheep milk on the characteristics of Requeijão cremoso processed cheese

Abstract

Sheep milk refrigerated for up to 10 days and frozen for up to 90 days was evaluated for physicochemical characteristics, proteolytic activity, integrity of protein fractions, and microbiological counts. The impact of refrigeration or freezing on nutritional composition, colour and texture profile of the Requeijão cremoso cheese was also evaluated. Milk refrigerated for up to 6 days or frozen for up to 90 days maintained its physicochemical characteristics, with no measurable changes in protein fractions, and acceptable bacterial counts. Requeijão cremoso made from milk frozen for 30 days was the most similar to that made from fresh milk, followed cheese made from milk refrigerated for 6 days and finally milk frozen for 90 days. Thus, Requeijão cremoso can be produced from milk subjected to refrigerated or frozen storage, with little change in texture and physicochemical characteristics.