Feasibility of producing buttery cheese from sheep's and goat's milk using vegetable coagulant associated with different starters cultures

Abstract

In Brazil, sheep's and goat's milk are produced mainly on small family farms and cheese manufacture is an interesting way to ensure better income for these producers, helping them to stay in rural areas. Buttery cheese is a highly proteolyzed cheese obtained by the use of a vegetable coagulant and inoculation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This cheese has a latent market in Brazil; therefore, its production can be a way of adding value to goat and sheep milk. However, the lack of technical-scientific studies on vegetable coagulants that can be cultivated in Brazil and their association with LAB to obtain a level of proteolysis compatible with buttery cheese are current challenges. In this scenario, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of producing sheep and goat buttery cheese using artichoke flower extract as a vegetable coagulant and bacteria from Lactococcus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus as starter cultures. The cheeses produced will be evaluated regarding their microbiological, physicochemical, nutrient content, proteolysis, lipolysis, rheological, sensory and bioactive potential after in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal digestion. Based on these results, the best combination of LAB and coagulant will be selected to obtain buttery cheese using each milk source. The knowledge acquired will be transferred directly to sheep and goat milk and cheese producers. Furthermore, the results will help the international scientific community to improve knowledge about (i) cheese from milk of small ruminants, (ii) the use of artichoke flower extract as a vegetable coagulant, (iii) the impact of different LAB on depth proteolysis when a vegetable coagulant is used in primary proteolysis, (iv) proteolysis process per se and (v) how this process can result in peptides with bioactive potential after digestive process. (AU)