Effect of the autochthonous starter culture on physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of traditional colombian double-cream cheese: A kinetic approach

Double-cream cheese is a Colombian pasta-filata cheese made from fresh and acidified cow milk. Two kinds of cheese were compared: conventional (QTR) and autochthonous starter culture added (QCP). Double-cream cheeses with yield, moisture, fat, and protein of 10.98%, 48.52 g/100 g, 24.58 g/100 g, and 23.23 g/100 g were obtained, respectively. For both kinds of cheese, no significant differences during the storage period for pH (5.19), acidity (0.3 g/100 g), moisture (46.73 g/100 g), and total solids (53.47 g/100 g) were observed. The values of cohesiveness (0.33), gumminess (18.91 J), hardness (30.03 N), and chewiness (14.75 J) were higher for QCP during the storage time. General quality for QTR and QCP were 9.35 ± 0.87 and 9.25 ± 0.24, respectively. At the end of the storage period, QTR exhibited a higher count of total coliforms (7.20 ± 0.00 log CFU/g), while QCP showed a lower count (3.58 ± 0.98 log CFU/g). The specific growth rates of total coliforms in QTR and QCP were 0.0146 h−1 and 0.0068 h−1, respectively. QCP demonstrates an extended shelf life of 22 days more than QTR under optimal initial conditions (0.00 log CFU/g). The autochthonous starter culture can inhibit coliform growth, enabling the production of cheese with extended shelf life and similar sensory qualities to conventional cheese.