High hydrostatic-pressure technology applied in fresh sheep milk cheese

The aim of this work was to extend shelf life of ovine fresh cheese by means of high hydrostatic pressure technology. Cheese were obtained from Sardinian sheep milk and treated at high pressure. The behavior of cheese throughout ripening was studied, both in high pressured cheese sample and untreated cheese sample, that was used as control. Microbiological, chemical, textural and sensorial analysis were carried out at different storage times on both samples. An increase of shelf life has been obtained for high-pressured cheese, due to the reduction of microbial cell count. Sensorial analyses, performed by a trained sensory panel, revealed significant differences between samples, that increased throughout storage.