Cheese diversity in Mexico as well as the biochemical importance of it.

cheese industry during the process and its nutritional contribution.

Introduction

Milk has been the only food obtained naturally and of vital importance for the
feeding of mammals, especially for humans due to their contributions
nutritional, among which we can highlight: fat, protein, lactose, vitamins and
minerals of which the first three are essential to confer specific characteristics
In dairy products, for example, proteins and fats are the main components.
of cheeses, for example, making a matured cheese implies that the fat has a certain
participation in the biochemical reactions occurring during ripening, giving it
aroma, flavor, color, and a desired consistency (Galván Díaz, 2005), hence the demand in
the cheese industry cannot be compared to the production of artisanal cheeses alone in
In Mexico, there is a great variety of cheeses that we must rescue as it allows for improvement.
nutrition while also diversifying the activities of family members generating
in this way, income especially for rural families, so it is necessary to provide to
to know one of the most popular and consumed food products, especially in the
American Continent (CLEMSON, 1999), starting by defining it.

Definition of Cheese and variety

According to NMX-121-SSA1-1994, cheeses are products made with curd.

of standardized and pasteurized milk from cows or other animal species, with or without addition
of cream, obtained by the coagulation of casein with rennet, lactic germs, enzymes
appropriate, edible organic acids with or without further treatment by heating,
drained, pressed or not, with or without the addition of ripening ferments, special molds,
melting sales and optional edible ingredients, giving rise to the different varieties
of cheeses being able to be: fresh, aged, or processed:
Fresh cheeses: They are characterized by being products with a high moisture content.
mild flavor and no crust, optionally adding ingredients or not and
having a short shelf life, requiring refrigeration conditions,
some examples are shown in figure 1.

Figure 1. Example of fresh cheeses

2. Aged cheeses: They are characterized by being hard, semi-hard, or soft, with or
without bark; subjected to a maturation process through the addition of
microorganisms, under controlled conditions of time, temperature, and humidity,
to provoke in them biochemical and physical changes characteristic of the product of
whatever it is, which allows it to extend its shelf life, which may or may not
require refrigeration conditions, some examples of this variety are shown
in figure 2.

Figure 2. Example of matured cheese

 3. Processed cheeses: They are characterized by being made with mixtures of cheeses,
fusion and emulsion with melting salts, permitted food additives and
optional ingredients, subjected to a thermal process of 70 ºC for 30 seconds
or to submit to any other equivalent or greater combination of time and
temperature, which allows it to prolong its shelf life (See figure 3).

Figure 3. Examples of processed cheese

Constituents of Cheese

Given the nutritional importance that the product offers to the diet, we can find
among its main constituents are proteins, fats, vitamins, and calcium.

Proteins: Cheeses contain 10-30% protein, depending on the method of

manufacturing, providing the cheese with the specific characteristics of the product.

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and varies according to its water content.
the manufacturing method.

Vitamins: In cheese, we can find vitamins A, D, and E, from which the contribution
depend directly on the fat content of the product. The vitamin content of the
B complex and vitamin C vary considerably depending on the type of serum used in the
manufacturing. Taking into account that the vitamin contribution depends on the loss during the
preparation and its enrichment during the maturation process since some
microorganisms synthesize some of them.

Fats: During maturation, fat is one of the primary components for

check the characteristic aroma of the cheese.
Cheese Making

According to Fox et al. (2006), making cheese essentially involves a process of

dehydration in which components such as fat and casein from milk become concentrated
between six and twelve times, depending on the variety of the product. In certainty, the greatest
Some of the cheeses in the world come from enzymatic coagulation that uses rennet.
other coagulating enzymes.
Cheese, however, is much more than just a simple curd of milk, it is also a good
food culture, support of a local agro-food network or chain of importance
economic, which can contribute to regional development (Gerrini and Prost, 2003). Therefore, the
cheese-making technology involves following a series of steps according to
Tucuman, (2010).

1. Standardization of milk: Receiving milk in good condition for

store it in a tank with agitation and cold, at a temperature of 5 ºC as
maximum. To subsequently filter it and homogenize it obtaining the parameters
desired optimums.

2. Pasteurization: In order to obtain high-quality products, it is necessary to

undergo a thermal treatment or heating of the milk, carried out
generally at 72º C for 15 minutes, although there are artisanal factories that
Pasteurize the milk at 63ºC for 30 minutes.

3. Addition of lactic cultures: They act on the lactose in the milk producing acid.
lactic, the latter promotes coagulation during production, producing
compounds responsible for the characteristic aromas and flavors of ripening.

4. Addition of Additives: Among them, calcium chloride using 2 grams of milk and the
addition of Sodium Nitrate using a maximum of 1 gram per every 10 liters of
milk.
5. Coagulation: The most important stage in cheese production, it is a complex
enzyme used to mix with milk and form curd,
operating in fresh cheeses at low temperatures (15-20ºC), while in the
cheeses of enzymatic fermentation coagulation (30-35º C) and finally in the cheeses
mixed coagulation employs a temperature (28-32º C). The most used coagulant
Globally, it is the FPC or recombinant Chymosin (Andren, 2011; GMO-
Compass, 2012).

6. Desuerado: It consists of the separation of the serum that impregnates the clot.
obtaining the solid part that constitutes the curd by resorting to actions of a type
mechanical actions such as cutting and removing, whose action is completed by the
warming and acidification.

7. Molding: It is the placement of the curd in molds of specific shapes and sizes.
It will depend on the type of cheese to be made.

8. The pressing: Its purpose is to expurge the whey to achieve the final moisture.
of the cheese and compact the cheese to achieve a closed mass and form it.

9. Salado: Its purpose is to regulate microbial development, both by suppressing

undesirable bacteria by controlling the growth of the agents of the
ripening, in addition to contributing to the loss of serum and improving flavor.

10. Ripening: The last phase that consists of a series of physicochemical changes.
giving cheese its essential characteristics such as: Texture, aroma, flavor and
consistency.
Cheese Consumption

Global cheese production is around 20 million tons.

FAO, 2011). Only in Mexico is the consumption of each type presented in table 1.

Table 1. Cheese consumption in Mexico

Tipo de Queso Percentage

Panela Cheese 53.2%
Oaxaca cheese 17.4%
Chihuahua Cheese 11.5%
Manchego Cheese 7.3%
Cottage Cheese 4.6%
American style melted cheese 4.2%
Cream cheese 2.8%

As can be seen, panela cheese is the pioneer in our country, followed by cheese.
Oaxaca thanks to its characteristics acquired during the elaboration process making them
attractive to the consumer. Nevertheless, there is a great diversity of Mexican cheeses.
like the collection existing in table 2.

Table 2. Basic characteristics of genuine Mexican cheeses.

Nombre del Queso Área de producción Presentación Type of pasta

Oaxaca Throughout the country From 25 kg, to Spun
more than 1 Kg. Shape of
ball of yarn
Chihuahua Especially in Cylindrical, plasma and Pressed, not cooked or
Chihuahua Dgo. rectangular. From 5 slightly cooked.
Coahuila, Zac. Kg up to about 10
Kg.
Mexican Manchego In various states of the Cylindrical, plasma and Pressed, uncooked, to
country. rectangular. From 1 times slightly
Kg up to 5 Kg wash
Panela In various states of the conical trunk, flat. Fresh and soft
country.
Grill In some states of the Disk-shaped, thin and Threaded
north prismatic.
Cotija Jalmich Mountain Range Gran format, Semi-hard hard,
cylindrical; 20 Kg pressed, matured.
Ground En varios estados del Pequeño, cilíndrico, Blanda no prensada,
country. plan of 250 gr to fresher.
of 1 Kg.
Sierra The lowland and in several cylindrical, more than 2 semi-hard, pressed.

states of the country Kg.

Tiler Jalisco, Guanajuato, Prismatic, Pressurized, ground,
Mich., Querétaro rectangular, 500 Kg cheddarized.
1 kg.
Tropical cream Chiapas and Tabasco Small cylindrical - Soft, pressed
planar and prismatic
rectangular, from 250 to 1
Kg.
Salt cheese Chiapas Small-cylindrical and Band, not pressed or
particularly the prismatic coast- slightly pressed.
rectangular, weighing 250 Kg

more than 1 kg.

Veracruz Rancher Center of Veracruz Cylindrical and Soft, pressed.
prismatic
rectangular of 250 g
up to 20 Kg
Of the strap Morelos. Cylindrical, more than 2 Soft pressed
Kg.
Guaje (ball type) Potosina Huasteca Small in the shape of a thread
basto or guaje, 250 g
1 Kg.
Chapingo Chapingo, cylindrical state of 4 to 5 Kg. Semi-hard, pressed.
Mexico
Of leaf Veracruz Center small cylindrical, soft, self-pressed.
around 250
grams.
Of the skin River area, Small binoculars - Soft, pressed
Tabasco rectangular, flat, slightly
250 to 1000 g.
Ball cheese from Ocosingo, Chiapas Spherical, between 500 g and Soft or semi-hard,
Ocosingo 1 Kg. according to age. No
pressed.
I die Hidalgo, Puebla, state Pillow; from 2 to 5 Semidura, pressed.
from Mexico, Jalisco Kg.
Of epazote Hidalgo, Puebla, Cylindrical 500 g to 2 Firm, sliceable pasta
Tlaxcala, state of Kg. pressed.
Mexico
Of wheel Tlacolulan, Veracruz and very flat Cylindrical; Paste slightly
surrounding municipalities. small: 10.5 cm of pressed
diámetro, 2.4 altura
Braiding Veracruz (Huasteca), In a firm braid, threaded
Oaxaca. with two shoelaces.
Ground and creamy from the Center of Oaxaca Cylindrical soft and semi-hard,
Oaxaca. slightly rectangular prismatic
1 to 2 Kg. granulated, pressed
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