Influence of the addition of natural antioxidant from mate leaves (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hill) on the chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of different formulations of Prato cheese.

The objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of the addition of dried extract from mate leaves and mesophilic cultures (Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis and cremoris) on the chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of Prato cheese. The Prato cheese presented high moisture contents (49 to 53 %) and mean pH values of 5.15 for all tested formulations. The addition of mate leaves extract in the product did not influence the growth of the microbial cultures. During the maturation time, all formulations with the addition of adjunct cultures and mate leaves extract presented lower levels of lipid and protein oxidation compared to the control, proving the antioxidant effect of mate extract. The formulation of Prato cheese added of 0.1 wt.% of extract presented acceptability of about 80 % after 30 days of maturation. The sensory evaluation showed that only the formulation added by adjunct culture and 0.2 wt.% of mate extract presented lower values for the attributes global acceptance, texture and flavor, compared to the control. The formulations added of mate leaves extract presented residual bitter flavor after 45 days of storage.