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.