Avaliação do rendimento de fabricação e das características do queijo tipo Camembert produzido com uma tecnologia brasileira

Abstract

Camembert cheese is a typical French cheese characterized by the development of white mold on its outer part, forming a velvety rind. In addition, this cheese has a soft texture and characteristic flavour; at the end of its ripening, it becomes slightly ammoniacal. Cheese ripening consists of a period during which several biochemical processes occur between the two main organic constituents of milk: proteins and lipids, resulting in a diversity of compounds that confer aromas and flavours. The primary ripening agent of Camembert cheese is the filamentous fungus Penicillium candidum, which gives the cheese specific characteristics that make it different from others, giving it a distinct flavour, aroma and texture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the manufacturing yield and the physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of Camembert cheese produced with a Brazilian technology with 2, 10, 30 and 60 days of ripening. Twelve productions of Camembert cheese were carried out using Brazilian technology. The mean and standard deviation of fat and protein of the milk used were 3.31% (w/v) ± 0.20 and 2.89% (w/v) ± 0.15, respectively. The moisture of the cheeses varied significantly during ripening (P<0.05), and at 30 days, they showed moisture similar to cheeses from other studies. The adjusted yield in L/kg was 8.67 ± 0.54. There was a significant variation of fat in the dry mattert (FDM) only in the first ten days of ripening. Still, the ripened cheese showed higher values of 10% for GES and 20% for fat than found in the literature for the traditional French Camembert cheese. This difference may be due to the lack of standardization of initial milk fat to 3.0 to 3.2%. Total protein did not change, and moisture decreased significantly during ripening (P<0.05). There was a gradual increase in pH, proteolysis and extent of proteolysis index with a significant difference (P<0.05) due to the formation of alkaline nitrogen compounds and lactic acid catabolism. In addition, there was a substantial difference over ripening time in the texture profile of cheeses for gumminess, chewiness, hardness and cohesiveness, which are related to the degree of proteolysis. The advance of ripening also caused a significant variation in the colour parameters L* a*, b* indicating a darkening and tendency towards yellowish colour due to the decrease in moisture and coverage of the cheese by P. candidum. The cheeses had good sensory acceptance, indicating that the Brazilian technology for manufacturing Camembert cheese allows the production of good quality cheese with a ripening profile similar to traditional French cheeses that meet consumers’ expectations. However, there is still much variation in the product due to the lack of a specific quality and identity technical regulation.