Avaliação físico-química do leite e queijo de São Bento

Abstract

The production of artisanal cheeses takes place informally, in a simple way, because they are made in unsuitable locations. They have great historical, socio-economic and cultural value, and are distinguished by their ancient knowledge of how to make them. Buffalo milk is a very suitable element for the preparation of multiple products, due to its typical attributes. Queijo de São Bento - MA is a handmade product that is well known in the Baixada Maranhense microregion and in the state capital, and the main raw material is buffalo milk. The aim of this study was to analyze the physicochemical characteristics of milk and cheese in order to provide information on this product. The moisture, pH, acidity, ash, lipid, protein and carbohydrate contents were evaluated. The results obtained for buffalo milk in natura, in terms of moisture analysis, did not show any significant difference between the samples, in terms of acidity, the milk analyzed is considered acidic according to the legislation for bovine milk, since there are no specific laws for buffalo milk and its derivatives, and in terms of moisture parameters, the cheeses evaluated ranged from 40.95% to 46.28%, qualifying as cheeses with medium or high moisture, in the analysis of fat, the São Bento cheeses fit the classification of low-fat cheeses, in the analysis of acidity, relatively close averages were found, the ash in the cheeses analyzed showed values ranging from 2.0 to 3.12, the proteins showed a change between 2.61% and 3.18%, with no significant dispute between the cheeses, the carbohydrates showed very small changes between them, showing a coherence between them and in the analysis of pH there was no difference between them. The need for cheese standardization was noted as being essential for maintaining its quality, as well as the need for joint actions between municipal authorities, academia and producers, in order to establish public policies that are more appropriate for the production of artisanal cheeses in São Bento, seeking the best development of the entire production chain. It can be concluded that although the same type of cheese was evaluated, there was a slight variation between the cheeses produced by the different producers, which may be due to the particularities of production, as well as the characteristics of the milk used in production