Caracterização tecnológica e sensorial de cremes de queijo adicionados de farinhas irradiada ou extrusada de sorgo.

Abstract

The worldwide cheese market has been growing every year, and a result, there is an increased need for the development of derivatives that meet consumers expectations, that is, food not only tastier, but also healthy and nutritious increases. Among the diversity of products that have appeared in recent years in the Brazilian’s dairy market, cream cheese stands out, which are foods of yellowish-white color, fresh and with high spreadability. Fine herbs and/or cereals can be added to these, among others, seeking improvements in quality aspects and increased nutritional properties. In this context, the sorghum appears as a good alternative, due to its versatility and nutritional composition. However, due to its planting conditions and storage forms, microbial contamination becomes susceptible, requiring alternative conservation technologies, with a proposal to preserve the functional composition and technological aspects, and gamma irradiation is an alternative treatment. In the first stage of this study, the objective was to evaluate the influence of gamma radiation (3 and 5 kGy) on the physicochemical, antioxidant, technological and microbiological characteristics of whole sorghum flours BRS 305 and SC 319 genotypes, and from this work, select the best flour to be added in different formulations of cream cheese. In the second stage, different formulations of cream cheese added to irradiated or extruded sorghum flour BRS 305 genotype were developed and characterized, as to the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties. Irradiation did not significantly interfere (p > 0.05) in the centesimal, technological and functional composition of the evaluated sorghum flours, as well as in the parameters of acidity, pH and water activity. Regarding the contaminant load, the process reduced the count of Bacillus cereus, molds and yeasts of the evaluated sorghum flours to undetectable levels. The sorghum flour BRS 305 genotype irradiated at 5 kGy was the one that presented the best parameters of antioxidant activity and greater microbiological safety, being used in the process of development of cream cheese. The addition of sorghum contributed to the increase of protein intake in the cream cheese developed, elaboration of firmer products with higher antioxidant content. In sensory terms, the formulations developed with irradiated sorghum flours were those with the best results for the parameters flavor and overall impression (p ≤ 0.05), and all products were well evaluated for purchase intention in the market. Therefore, the addition of sorghum in cream cheese opens perspectives for the insertion of this cereal in dairy products.