Yield, composition and sensory analysis of Minas cheese made with milk from crossbred cows fed different roughages

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical-chemical and sensory quality and fatty acid profile of Minas cheese produced from milk from crossbred cows fed diets with four roughages (sugar cane, sorghum silage, sunflower silage and pasture of Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania). Yield, physical-chemical composition, fatty acid profile and sensory analysis of Minas cheese, as well as the physical-chemical composition of milk were analyzed. For the experiment, eight 1/2 Holstein/Gir crossbred cows, with lactation period of 180 +/- 12 days were distributed in two 4 x 4 latin squares (four animals, four diets and four periods). The experimental periods had a duration of 18 days: 15 days of adaptation and three days of data collection. After cheese processing microbiological, physical-chemical and sensory analysis were done. Cheese samples were frozen and analyzed for fatty acid profile. The fat content of cheese was higher for diets with sugar cane and sunflower silage compared with sorghum silage and pasture of Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania. Cheese produced from milk from cows fed sunflower silage had superior fatty acid composition and nutritional quality indexes, and better profile and higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. Cheese yield did not differ between diets containing different roughages. Cheese produced from milk from cows fed a diet with sunflower silage presents higher preference at the sensory analysis test, especially regarding the attribute appearance.