Developing ripened cheese production in three municipalities in the Caldas department of Colombia

Responding to the need to provide added value to milk produced in the towns of Salamis, Aranzazu and Viterbo in the Caldas department, a project was formulated with the overall objective of developing the production of ripened cheeses destined for domestic and international markets. The physicochemical characteristics of raw milk from these municipalities were thus studied initially, finding that standards regarding milk quality and density (1.030-1.033 g / l), total dry extract (11.30%) and defatted dry extract (8.30%) for the first two came within the range considered normal for cheese-making. Subsequently, Camembert, Cheddar, Emmental, Gruyere and Gouda cheese-making processes were developed in the University of Caldas' Food Technology Unit, using an preexperimental design having a single measurement and using techniques currently validated for ripened cheese preparation. Such processes were analysed for the sensory characteristics and evolution involved in ripening (proteolysis and lipolysis changes). Standardising Camembert, Cheddar and Gouda cheese production should be stressed among the results as they eventually complied with the highest sensory preferences and optimum ripening as verified by parameters such as degree of acidity, ripeness and protein and moisture percentage. It was thus found feasible to develop some ripened cheeses from milk produced in the northern municipalities of Caldas and transfer the results to its collection centres for providing greater added value to raw milk production at semiindustrial level.