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This review focused on the historical, marketing, technological, and microbiological characteristics of artisanal Brazilian cheese. Brazilian cheese production was introduced and developed from the influence of immigrants considering the combination of climate, races of the animals, quality and specificity of milk, technological cheese-making processes and environmental microbiology, among other factors. It resulted in cheese products with specific physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory quality, which represent the heritage and identities of the different Brazilian regions. The production of artisanal cheese increased in many Brazilian regions, mainly in the southeast, especially due to the traditional production and innovative development of new varieties of cheese. The microbiological quality and safety of raw-milk artisanal cheese continues to be a concern and many studies have been focusing on this matter. Special attention needs to be given to the cheeses produced by raw milk, since numerous reports raised concerns related to their microbiological safety. This fact requires attention and the implementation of strict hygiene practices on the production and commercialization, besides appropriate governmental regulations and control. However, more studies on the relationship between technological processes and microbiological properties, which results in a superior culinary quality and safety of artisanal Brazilian cheeses, are needed.

ABSTRACT: It is increasingly challenging for the food industries to develop products which meet the consumers’ demands. They seek foods that are innovative and present health benefits. In this review, the main objectives are to show the tendencies and innovations in the dairy food market and to indicate the challenges to apply probiotic bacteria to non-dairy products. Moreover, the safety of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to be applied to food products and the beneficial effect of probiotic bacteria on the intestinal microbiota and overall human health were also discussed. We considered that the development of probiotic fermented products added with fruits and fruit by-products, cereals or other vegetables aligns with the market tendencies and the consumers’ demands.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are pivotal in shaping the technological, sensory, and safety aspects of dairy products. The evaluation of proteolytic activity, citrate utilization, milk pH reduction, and the production of organic compounds, acetoin, and diacetyl by cheese associated LAB strains was carried out, followed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Citrate utilization was observed in all Leuconostoc (Le.) mesenteroides, Le. citreum, Lactococcus (Lc.) lactis, Lc. garvieae, and Limosilactobacillus (Lm.) fermentum strains, and in some Lacticaseibacillus (Lact.) casei strains. Most strains exhibited proteolytic activity, reduced pH, and generated organic compounds. Multivariate PCA revealed Le. mesenteroides as a prolific producer of acetic, lactic, formic, and pyruvic acids and acetoin at 30 °C. Enterococcus sp. was distinguished from Lact. casei based on acetic, formic, and pyruvic acid production, while Lact. casei primarily produced lactic acid at 37 °C. At 42 °C, Lactobacillus (L.) helveticus and some L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains excelled in acetoin production, whereas L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus (S.) thermophilus strains primarily produced lactic acid. Lm. fermentum stood out with its production of acetic, formic, and pyruvic acids. Overall, cheese-associated LAB strains exhibited diverse metabolic capabilities which contribute to desirable aroma, flavor, and safety of dairy products.

The effect of putative probiotic fermented milk (FM) with buriti pulp (FMB) or passion fruit pulp (FMPF) or without fruit pulp (FMC) on the microbiota of healthy humans was evaluated. FM formulations were administered into a simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME®) to evaluate the viability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), microbiota composition, presence of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and ammonium ions. The probiotic LAB viability in FM was affected by the addition of the fruit pulp. Phocaeicola was dominant in the FMPF and FMB samples; Bifidobacterium was related to FM formulations, while Alistipes was associated with FMPF and FMB, and Lactobacillus and Lacticaseibacillus were predominant in FMC. Trabulsiella was the central element in the FMC, while Mediterraneibacter was the central one in the FMPF and FMB networks. The FM formulations increased the acetic acid, and a remarkably high amount of propionic and butyric acids were detected in the FMB treatment. All FM formulations decreased the ammonium ions compared to the control; FMPF samples stood out for having lower amounts of ammonia. The probiotic FM with fruit pulp boosted the beneficial effects on the intestinal microbiota of healthy humans in addition to increasing SCFA in SHIME® and decreasing ammonium ions, which could be related to the presence of bioactive compounds.

Functional foods are defined as those that provide additional benefits to consumers. The market for foods with functional properties is expanding, supported by scientific evidences, which leads the developing of different special foods. This market segment is related to the innovations, as well as the traditional functional dairy and non dairy products, gain traction in the marketplace for innovative products like based whey sports beverage. Besides the functionality of muscle protein synthesis, these beverages are entering into areas such as clinical nutrition and satiety. Thus, it can be supposed that the composition and technological versatility of the whey support the use as innovative ingredient for foods and beverages. This review aim to supply an overview about functional foods, mainly the segment of whey based beverages. The success of this new nutritional approach is close related to the requirement to identify, to characterize and to develop methodologies to measure and to validate more precisely the relevant functional markers, making them open for a public domain.Alimentos funcionais são definidos como aqueles que fornecem benefícios adicionais aos da alimentação. O mercado de alimentos com propriedades funcionais está em crescente expansão, apoiado por evidências científicas, que creditam o desenvolvimento de alimentos diferenciados. Esse segmento está relacionado às inovações, pois além dos tradicionais produtos funcionais lácteos e não lácteos, ganham espaço no mercado produtos inovadores como bebidas especiais para esportistas a base de soro de leite. Além da funcionalidade sobre a síntese protéica muscular, estas bebidas protéicas estão se inserindo em áreas como a da saciedade e da nutrição clínica. Assim, é possível afirmar que o soro de leite se diferencia como ingrediente de inovação em alimentos e bebidas, porque demonstra uma grande versatilidade tecnológica. Esta revisão objetiva fornecer uma visão geral sobre alimentos funcionais, enfatizando o segmento de bebidas a base de soro de leite. O sucesso desta nova abordagem nutricional está intimamente ligado à necessidade de identificar, caracterizar e desenvolver metodologias para medir e validar com maior precisão os relevantes marcadores funcionais, tornando-os de domínio público, além, é claro, da aceitação por parte do consumidor.

Viscosity of some polysaccharide solutions supports that these molecules can be applied in food sectors. Four exopolysaccharides (R1, R2, R3, R4) produced by different Rhizobium strains were selected. Sugar composition and differences in the uronic acid contents suggests that chemical structure of these molecules can vary when different culture conditions and strains are analyzed. The Power Law was the rheological model used to represent the experimental data of shear stress versus shear rate. All exopolysaccharides showed non-Newtonian behavior, with pseudoplastic characteristics. R1, R2 and R4 showed a slight increase in viscosity in the presence of 0,2 M NaCl.

This research studied the effects of the independent variables whey protein concentrate – WPC (3.0; 3.5; 4.0%), skimmed milk powder – SMP (4.0; 5.0; 6.0%), and isolated soy protein – IPS (1.5; 2.0; 2.5%) on the rheological and sensorial characteristics of functional dairy beverages. In all tests 7% of sucrose was added to the ingredients. The rheological parameters were obtained in duplicate at the temperature of 10º C using a cone and plate rheometer, and fitted to the Power law model. The samples revealed a non-Newtonian fluid behavior both in the upward and downward curves, typical of a tixotropic fluid. The dairy beverages were submitted to a sensory analysis by a group of fifty untrained tasters who used a hedonic scale of nine points, the extremes being 1 – disliked extremely and 9 – liked extremely, in order to evaluate the following parameters: general acceptability; appearance and color; consistency; taste and aroma. The dairy beverage produced with 3% WPC, 6% SMP and 1.5% IPS, (treatment 3), was the one that obtained the best average score for those attributes and was preferred by the tasters. The variables SMP and IPS and the interaction between WPC and SMP presented a positive effect on the sensory consistency attributes: the higher amount of those ingredients in the formula the more the tasters liked the consistency.Neste trabalho foram estudados os efeitos das variáveis independentes: teor de soro de leite em pó (3,0; 3,5; 4,0%), teor de leite em pó desnatado (4,0; 5,0; 6,0%) e teor de isolado proteico de soja (1,5; 2,0; 2,5%) nas características reológicas e sensoriais de bebidas lácteas funcionais. Em todos os testes adicionou-se 7% de sacarose aos ingredientes. Os parâmetros reológicos foram determinados em duplicata na temperatura de 10ºC usando-se um reômetro de cone e placa, e ajustados pelo modelo da Lei da Potência. As amostras apresentaram comportamento de fluido não Newtoniano, nas curvas ascendentes e descendentes, típico de fluido tixotrópico. Os atributos sensoriais aceitabilidade geral; aparência e cor; consistência; sabor e aroma foram avaliados por uma equipe de 50 provadores não treinados, usando uma escala hedônica de 9 pontos, sendo os extremos 1 – desgostei muitíssimo e 9 – gostei muitíssimo. A bebida láctea elaborada com 3% de soro de leite, 6% de leite em pó desnatado e 1,5% de isolado proteico de soja (tratamento 3) foi a que obteve as maiores médias nos atributos e a preferida pelos provadores. As variáveis: leite em pó, isolado proteico de soja, e a interação entre soro de leite e leite em pó tiveram efeito positivo na consistência sensorial: quanto maior o teor destes ingredientes na formulação da bebida, mais os provadores gostaram da consistência das bebidas lácteas.

Response surface methodology was used to establish a relationship between total solids content, milk base, heat treatment temperature, and sample temperature, and consistency index, flow behaviour index, and apparent viscosity of plain stirred yogurts. Statistical treatments resulted in developments of mathematical models. All samples presented shear thinning fluid behaviour. The increase of the content of total solids (9.3–22.7 %) and milk base heat treatment temperature (81.6–98.4 °C) resulted in a significant increase in consistency index and a decrease in flow behaviour index. Increase in the sample temperature (1.6–18.4 °C) caused a decrease in consistency index and increase in flow behaviour index. Apparent viscosity was directly related to the content of total solids. Rheological properties of yogurt were highly dependent on the content of total solids in milk.