Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MARINA TAVARES TEIXEIRA DE MELO

Characterization of Dairy Cattle Farming in Seropédica (RJ) and its Influence on Milk Quality

Dairy cattle farming; Milk quality; Sensory analysis

Dairy cattle farming plays an important role in the development of the country's economy, being among the seven most important products in Brazilian agriculture and, therefore, capable of generating significant jobs and income. Present in almost all Brazilian municipalities, the activity is characterized by being dispersed and heterogeneous, bringing together both large producers and family farmers. Seropédica (RJ) is the municipality in Baixada Fluminense with the highest milk production, mainly made up of small producers who are informal. The objective of this work will be to evaluate the influence of practices adopted in the production system on the microbiological, physical-chemical quality and sensory evaluation of milk. Initially, technical visits will be carried out in which a structuring questionnaire will be applied on socioeconomic aspects, production practices and the milking environment with the aim of characterizing and grouping the different production systems; and samples of the animals' diet will also be collected followed by bromatological analysis. Regarding the quality aspects of raw milk, fat content, non-fat solids, protein, lactose, water content, temperature, freezing point and total milk solids, pH, titratable acidity, somatic cell count (SCC) will be evaluated. , total bacterial count (TBC). To carry out sensory analysis, the milk will be pasteurized at 63^oC for 30 minutes and microbiological analysis will be carried out to check the presence of Enterobacteriaceae/ml. Among the approved milks, 1 (one) producer will be chosen from each group determined in the characterization stage and these will be sensorially evaluated through acceptance tests using a structured 9-point hedonic scale and the Check-all-that-apply method.