Partição do cálcio em queijo minas padrão e sua bioacessibilidade ao longo do tempo de maturação

Abstract

Cheeses are notable among dairy products for their high lipid, protein, and mineral contents, since they concentrate these nutrients present in milk. The "Minas Padrão" chesse originated in the State of Minas Gerais, presents legal problems regarding commercialization issues. This came about through the technological development of assigning a standard to the many varieties of handcrafted cheeses with regional expression existing in the State. Due to the lack of a specific Technical Regulation on the Identity and Quality for this cheese, it is possible to find significant variations of such cheeses in the marketplace. Calcium is a divalent cation found in many foods. It is a key mineral for physiological functions such as nerve transmission, blood clotting, muscle contraction, cellular respiration, formation and maintenance of bones and teeth. Bioaccessibility is understood as "the fraction of a compound that is released from its matrix in the gastrointestinal tract, and thus becomes available for intestinal absorption, entering the bloodstream, as determined by in vitro testing." The present study aimed to evaluate the bioavailability and the partition of calcium (aqueous and free phases) in “Minas Padrão” cheese, in commercial samples, and over the entire ripening period, in samples obtained experimentally through two production techniques. In this study it was observed that variations in the partition of calcium occurred during ripening, these being linked to physicochemical and biochemical changes in the cheeses, especially regarding variations in pH. The commercial “Minas Padrão” cheese analyzed showed large desuniformities in composition and in relation to the partition of calcium, thus presenting wide variations in calcium bioaccessibility. Calcium bioaccessibility was adversely affected during the ripening process of the “Minas Padrão” cheese produced for the study, independent of the treatment tested, due to the reduced pH and calcium content in the aqueous phase. Concerning ripening time, it can be stated, from the nutritional point of view, that greater calcium bioaccessibility is found in the initial phase (up to seven days) and in the final phase (approximately 70 days) of ripening, although historically, it is a cheese consumed after more than 20 days of aging. Within the same determination ripening time, comparing the cheeses made with and without the washed mass, it was revealed that the bioaccessibility was greater in the second group. The lack of a specific Technical Regulation for “Minas Padrão” cheese allows for a high variability in the composition of this cheese, undermining its identity and its indication as a dietary source of calcium intake, since this variation affects calcium bioaccessibility, and therefore the calculation of food servings for supplying daily needs.