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Mexican surface mold cheese manufactured with goat´s milk in a traditional process with milk produced in a tropical region and ripened for 90 days was analyzed to evaluate the impact of ripening time over physicochemical and texture parameters. Changes in hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, chewiness, and gomosity were evaluated by texture profile analysis (TPA). Moisture was evaluated with official methods, whereas pH (center and rind) was measured directly. The lactic acid determination was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences between all parameters except center pH. Correlation analysis exposed significant correlations between all texture parameters evaluated and lactic acid concentration. There was no significant correlation between moisture and other parameters. By principal component analysis (PCA), an evolution in two steps was observed depending on the ripening time; this evolution was determined principally by hardness and chewiness for both eigenvectors followed by gomosity.

Red beetroot is rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, betaxanthins, betacyanins, among others. According to selected processing methods, the bioaccessibility of these compounds could be either enhanced or decreased. This study evaluated the effect of four different drying conditions: (1) Traditional Drying (TD), (2) Swell Drying (SD), (3) DIC Blanching + Traditional Drying (BTD), and (4) DIC Blanching + Swell Drying (BSD) on the antioxidant content and the antioxidant activity of red beetroots. Obtained results showed that in all the cases, by comparing to Traditional Drying (TD), the coupling of a DIC Blanching pre-treatment to a Swell Drying treatment (BSD) maintained or enhanced the preservation of the Total Phenolic Compounds (TPC), the Total Flavonoids Compounds (TFC), the Betanin Concentration (BC), the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC), and the Free Radical Scavenging Activity by DPPH (IC50) of red beetroots. Various studies have shown that thanks to the expanded and porous structure triggered by the Swell Drying process, it has been possible to achieve better antioxidants extraction and better whole quality. Hence, by coupling DIC as a blanching–steaming pre-treatment, it was possible to preserve better the antioxidant content and the antioxidant activity of red dried beetroots.