TEXTURAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES DURING RIPENING OF PORT SALUT ARGENTINO LIGHT CHEESE WITH MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE AFTER LONG FROZEN STORAGE PERIOD

Texture of a Port Salut Argentino light cheese with milk protein concentrate after 5 months of frozen storage was studied. Behavior of dynamic rheological measurements during ripening time (6, 20, 33, 47 and 68 days) with maturation index was analyzed. At 68 days of ripening, moisture decreased by 11% and total nitrogen content increased by 25% in frozen cheeses with respect to control cheeses. Between 6 and 68 days of ripening, maturation index was higher for frozen (17.8-29.1) than control cheeses (4.4-11.6). G' was higher than G '' showing that elastic behavior was dominant. During ripening, these parameters decreased in control cheeses, but increased in frozen cheeses. According to power law model parameters, elastic properties were more sensitive to changes with frequency. Coefficient a was significantly affected for both freezing process and ripening time, coefficient b only by freezing process. Long frozen storage period affected significantly the physicochemical and textural characteristics.