Acceptance of Santo Giorno cheese typical of the Southwestern region of Paraná, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Santo Giorno cheese, obtained from raw milk and selected autochthonous starters, is emerging as the newest typical food product from the Southwestern region of Paraná, Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acceptance of the cheese with two ripening times of 60 and 180 days, produced in two dairy factories, testing two starters and two preservatives. Subjective sensory evaluation was applied using 129 consumers and hedonic scales for the attributes and for purchasing intent. A questionnaire involving the rate of cheese consumption was also used. The results suggested good reproducibility of the cheese preparation by the dairy factories, with no significant differences between the type of preservative used and the suitability of the two types of starter tested. An inverse relationship between hedonic scores for attributes (appearance, color, odor, texture, flavor) and ripening time was observed, except for texture. By applying multinomial logistic regression and a box plot analysis, a significant effect of age on cheese purchasing intent was verified, with a mean acceptance rate of 87.8% for 60 days ageing and 81.8% for 180 days ageing. Results revealed a possible Santo Giorno cheese public of older consumers who had a cheese consuming habit