Efeito da utilização de embalagem ativa na maturação do queijo minas artesanal da microrregião Campo das Vertentes

Abstract

Artisanal Minas cheeses are important products for the economy of the regions where they are produced, in addition to being part of the tradition and culture of the population of these locations. The micro-region of Campo das Vertentes is one of the regions registered by the IMA for the production of artisanal Minas cheeses and comprises 15 municipalities. Ripening studies contribute to the quality control and safety of this food, allowing the production of cheeses that will meet consumer expectations, in addition to improving the producer's income. The use of active packaging is presented as an important strategy for this goal. Thus, the use of DSM Pack-AgeTM packaging with selective permeability in artisanal Minas cheeses from the Campo das Vertentes microregion was evaluated, to test its feasibility and benefits for the product and producers, with the objective of improving the added value of the cheeses while maintaining its quality. Packaged and unpackaged cheeses (control) were analyzed, with 3 replications (registered producers), at 5, 19, 33, and 47 days of ripening. Photographic records and weighing of the cheeses were carried out during ripening, as well as physicochemical analyses (protein, fat, moisture, chlorides, and ash contents, pH, water activity, proteolysis indices, instrumental color), microbiological counts (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, mesophilic aerobes, enterobacteria, total and thermotolerant coliforms, filamentous fungi and yeasts, and Staphylococcus aureus) and texture profile. It was observed that, with the use of packaging, the overall appearance of the cheeses improved. The packaging was effective in reducing the weight loss of artisanal cheeses during all analyzed times of maturation. The moisture content of the cheeses after 5 days of manufacture classified them as having medium moisture content and the fat in the dry extract as full-fat cheeses. There was no effect of the use of packaging on pH, water activity, proteolysis indices, adhesiveness, elasticity, color parameter a*, counts of mesophilic aerobes, enterobacteria, total and thermotolerant coliforms of the analyzed cheeses (P>0.05); only the ripening time was responsible for differences in these variables (P≤0.05). Hardness, cohesiveness, chewability, fat in the dry extract, L* and b* color parameters, and Staphylococcus aureus count did not vary either in relation to time or due to the use of the cheese packaging (P>0.05). Cheese moisture decreased over time as expected, but packaged cheeses had significantly higher moisture content than unpackaged cheeses (P≤0.05). With a higher moisture content in the packaged cheeses, there was a decrease in fat and protein in relation to the control cheese (P≤0.05). The filamentous fungi and yeast counts increased with ripening time but increased less in packaged cheese (P≤0.05). Thus, since the packaging allowed the main factors related to the ripening of artisanal Minas cheeses to evolve in a similar way to the control treatment, while reducing weight loss and improving the overall appearance of the cheeses, it could be concluded that the active packaging DSM PackAgeTM was effective for use in artisanal Minas cheeses from Campo das Vertentes, improving attributes and maintaining the quality and maturation of the cheeses, with the possibility of adding value and income for the producers.