Servilleta cheese: proteolysis, colour and texture

Servilleta, an artisan fresh goat's milk cheese, was studied. Distinctive characteristics are high pasteurisation, enzymatic coagulation, wrapping and pressing in cotton gauzes with no use of moulds and mild salting. Composition (moisture, fat, protein, salt and pH), nitrogen fractions (soluble at pH 4.4 and soluble in 12% trichloroacetic acid), microbial counts (total viable counts, enterobacteria), colour and texture (stress relaxation and uniaxial compression tests) determinations were run. As there is no uniformity (p<0.05) in the textural and compositional characteristics of commercial artisan Servilleta cheese, it would be necessary to homogenize the manufacturing conditions and improve the microbial quality. Its moisture content is higher (p<0.05) than that of other fresh goat's milk cheeses. It is soft, and its viscoelastic parameters showed high elasticity and a great fluid behaviour. The high pasteurisation temperature may affect moisture retention and textural properties.