Standardization of the technology of manufacture of the butter cheese

Abstract

The technology for the making of butter cheese is fully empiric and its processing is still experimental, presenting technological deficiencies during the manufacture phases, storage and distribution, and great variation in the chemical composition. Considering the mentioned above, this work aimed to develop and to standardize protocols for the processing of the butter cheese, as well as the effect of sodium bicarbonate as a substitute for the imported source salt. In the processing of the butter cheese was used skimmed milk and home made butter in five different formulations to obtain cheese with a final fat content of 12, 15, 20, 25, and 30%. The steps involved in the processing were: milk coagulation, heating of the curd, agitation, washing and compressing of the mass. Thanks to good manufacture practices and the high level of sanitation applied, the processed cheeses presented excellent sensorial qualities and low microbial load, agreeable with the sanitary standards of quality. The sensorial trials showed that two treatments of casein mass conferred the butter cheese desirable sensorial characteristics. Sodium bicarbonate, in the concentration of 0,8 gram per kilogram of casein mass, was satisfactory for the dispersion of the mass, making possible the achievement of a product without fat exudation yet with a soft consistency.