Characteristics of Anevato Cheese made from Raw or Heat-treated Goat Milk Inoculated with a Lactic Starter

Anevato cheese was made from raw goat milk (R), pasteurized at 72°C for 15 s (P) and thermized at 63°C for 10 min (T) using `wildʹ isolates of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis as a `starterʹ from traditional Anevato cheese. Heat treatment of milk had a significant (P<0.05) effect on the level of all microbial groups; counts on cheeses T and P were similar, except for total viable counts and staphylococci. Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms were not detected in these cheese types. The use of starter improved the microbiological quality of raw milk cheese; cheese R showed lower microbial counts than the traditional Anevato cheese. The peptide pattern obtained by urea-PAGE from each cheese type at the same age was different. Casein breakdown in cheese P was delayed and generally was lower than in the other cheese types. It is assumed that proteolysis in cheeses R and T is mostly dependent on the indigenous milk flora, while yeasts seem to be the main proteolytic factor in cheese P. Cheeses T and P lacked the typical flavour of raw milk cheese, although isolates from traditional raw milk Anevato cheese were used as a starter culture.