The chemical composition, water holding capacity, rheological properties and sensory acceptability of six commercial brands of Brazilian petit suisse cheeses collected from local markets, where analyzed after 20 days of storage at temperatures between 8 and 12°C. The commercial products differed mainly with respect to the type of hydrocolloid added and protein/fat ratio. Product B showed more than two times the water holding capacity as compared to the other samples presenting an intermediate protein/fat ratio and whey protein concentrate and pectin added. The highest apparent viscosity, complex viscosity, G’ and G’’ where presented by product E which also showed the highest protein/fat ratio, suggesting that there was a good correlation between these rheological parameters and protein/fat ratio. The protein/fat ratio significantly influenced (p<0,05) G’, G’’ and the complex viscosity, showing the impact of product composition on the petit suisse cheese structure and elasticity. All the samples showed viscoelastic behavior but G’ was higher than G’’ for all studied frequencies, The G’/G’’ ratio was between 3 and 4, characteristic of "weak gel" for this type of cheese. Sensory scores for taste, global appearance, texture and global terms where significantly different among the samples. Products E and F received the highest acceptability scores and the product B, the lowest. Product A received the highest acceptability scores for taste and texture, but also presented the lowest acceptance in global appearance, due to its high syneresis. In general, the samples were well accepted by adult consumers indicating a good potential in this segment to be explored by national processors of petit suisse cheese.
petit suisse cheese; sensory acceptability; viscoelasticity
