Compositional and biochemical changes during cold storage of starter-free fresh cheeses made from ultra-high-pressure homogenised milk

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of using ultra-high pressure homogenisation (UHPH) on the composition and biochemistry of starter-free fresh cheeses and to monitor their evolution during cold storage as an alternative to conventional treatments applied in the production of fresh cheese such as conventional pasteurisation and homogenisation-pasteurisation. Although both homogenisation treatments increased cheese moisture content, cheeses from UHPH-treated milk showed lower moisture loss during storage than those from conventionally homogenised-pasteurised milk. Lipolysis and proteolysis levels in cheeses from UHPH-treated milk were lower than those from conventionally treated milk samples. Although, oxidation was found to be the major drawback, in general terms, high quality starter-free fresh cheeses were obtained from UHPH-treated milk.