Use of Autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria as Starter Culture of Pasteurized Milk Adobera Cheese

Adobera, a genuine, brick-shaped, lightly ripened, unstretched pasta filata-like cheese from Western México, is one of the most important market-share wise but is usually made with raw milk and prepared following artisanal procedures. A pasteurized milk cheese is needed to assess its safety and guarantee standardized quality features. However, no commercial Adobera cheese culture is available, as specific lactic acid bacteria relevant for its production have not been thoroughly identified. This study is aimed at comparing the technological and quality features of Adobera cheeses made with pasteurized milk inoculated with a mixture of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc strains) to those of traditional raw milk cheeses, hypothesizing that no significant differences would be found between them. Milk pasteurization promoted water retention into the cheese matrix, impacting its texture and color profiles. Raw milk cheeses were harder, more cohesive, and less elastic than pasteurized milk cheeses. Ripening markers were significantly higher in raw milk cheeses at all sampling times, although its evolution over time showed that the starter culture could exhibit similar proteolytic activity than that of native milk microbiota under favorable ripening conditions. The principal component analysis revealed apparent overall differences between raw Adobera cheeses and those made with pasteurized cheese milk.