TEXTURE PROPERTIES OF MINIATURE CHIHUAHUA-TYPE CHEESE MANUFACTURED WITH DIFFERENT STRAINS OF LACTOCOCCUS LACTIS ISOLATED FROM PLANTS AND RAW MILK CHEESE

摘要

There is a growing interest to explore new wild strains of Lactococcus lactis because of their ability to generate certain flavor compounds due to differences in their metabolic activities. However, it is believed that plant-derived strains of lactococci have a limited ability to ferment lactose and hydrolyze the milk proteins. It is therefore hypothesized that cheese manufactured with plant-derived strains of L.lactis might develop a harder texture than cheese manufactured with commercial strains or strains isolated from raw milk products. The aim of this work was to describe the texture properties of cheese manufactured with different strains of L.lactis isolated from raw milk cheese and vegetables. The miniature cheese manufactured with diverse strains of L.lactis showed a wide range of textures. The source of isolation of L.lactis did not predispose the proteolytic activities of the strains or the cheese texture properties. The plant-derived strains did not produce the hardest cheese.