Author(s): Inácio, Rita S. ; Monteiro, Maria J. P. ; Lopes-da-Silva, José A. ; Gomes, Ana M. P. ; Saraiva, Jorge A.
Date: 2023
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/41759
Origin: Veritati - Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Subject(s): Ewe raw milk cheese; High pressure; Microbial evolution; Plastic film; Proteolysis; Safety; Sensorial; Storage; Vacuum; Wrapped in paper
Serra da Estrela cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is a traditional cheese that is wrapped in paper without vacuum. High-pressure processing (HPP), which requires vacuum packaging of the cheese, has been used for its cold pasteurization to overcome safety issues. In this study, two packaging systems were studied: non-vacuum greaseproof paper wrapping package and vacuum packaging in plastic film. Lactococci, lactobacilli, enterococci, and total mesophiles reached ca. 8 log cfu g−1 and 4–6 log cfu g−1 in control (unpasteurized) and HPP-treated cheeses, respectively, with no significant differences between packaging systems. Spoilage microorganisms' viable cell numbers were reduced to <3 log cfu g−1 (quantification limit) in HPP-treated cheeses, independently of the packaging system. Yeasts and molds reached >5 log cfu g−1 in non-vacuum paper-wrapped cheeses. A vacuum-packaging system enabled better control of cheese proteolysis, which was revealed to be closer to that of the original control cheese values at the end of the 10-month storage period. In addition, cheese stored under vacuum film packaging became harder than non-vacuum paper-wrapped cheeses at each time point. Overall, conventional non-vacuum paper wrapping is adequate for short storage periods (<3 months), but for long periods vacuum packaging in plastic film is preferable.
