Impact of pressing time on microstructural parameters of goat cheese

Abstract

Artisanal goat's milk cheeses are an important source of macronutrients such as proteins and lipids and are considered part of cultural heritage. In the State of Veracruz there are climatic and vegetation conditions suitable for the development of intensive and semi-intensive goat production systems (SPC) that allow the production of fresh and matured artisanal cheeses on a small scale. However, the different stages of cheese production play a determining role in its final microstructure. For example, the use of different levels of pressure can induce changes in the microstructure of the cheese and impact the release of volatile compounds responsible for the flavor and physicochemical and functional properties in cheeses. The microstructure of cheeses are a porous medium for the mass transport of water and volatile compounds. However, the complexity of the microstructure can be quantified using different mathematical algorithms such as Feret maximum diameter (Feretmax), Geodesic diameter (Geodiam), Geodesic elongation (Geoelon) and Tortuosity (τ). Currently, goat cheeses from the state of Veracruz lack studies that demonstrate the impact of pressing time on the final microstructure of goat cheeses. For all of the above, the objective of this research is to determine the impact of pressing time on the microstructural parameters of two types of goat cheese from the State of Veracruz.