Changes induced by high hydrostatic pressure in acidified and non-acidified milk during Oaxaca cheese production

Oaxaca cheese, produced using the pasta filata method, is a very popular Mexican dairy products. In this work, the effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and the acidification process before and after HHP treatment of raw cow milk was studied at different pressure levels (150, 300 and 500 MPa) and holding times (10 and 30 min). Clotting time, proximal composition, microstructure, secondary protein structure and electrophoretic profile were evaluated. HHP did not influence clotting time in samples acidified before HHP, but it appears to have a positive effect at lower pressure treatments on non-acidified milk. Moisture, protein and fat were similar in cheeses treated at most HHP conditions regardless of the acidification. HHP did not influence the microstructure of cheese and the secondary structure of proteins. The use of HHP during the manufacture of Oaxaca cheese allowed preserving quality parameters evaluated without advantages in processing time and the product's proximal composition.