Area summation of first- and second-order modulations of luminance

To extend our understanding of the early visual hierarchy, we investigated the long-range integration of first- and second-order signals in spatial vision. In our first experiment we performed a conventional area summation experiment where we varied the diameter of (a) luminance-modulated (LM) noise and (b) contrastmodulated (CM) noise. Results from the LM condition replicated previous findings with sine-wave gratings in the absence of noise, consistent with long-range integration of signal contrast over space. For CM, the summation function was much shallower than for LM suggesting, at first glance, that the signal integration process was spatially less extensive than for LM. However, an alternative possibility was that the high spatial frequency noise carrier for the CM signal was attenuated by peripheral retina (or cortex), thereby impeding our ability to observe area summation of CM in the conventional way. To test this, we developed the ''Swiss cheese'' stimulus of Meese and Summers (2007) in which signal area can be varied without changing the stimulus diameter, providing some protection against inhomogeneity of the retinal field. Using this technique and a two-component subthreshold summation paradigm we found that (a) CM is spatially integrated over at least five stimulus cycles (possibly more), (b) spatial integration follows square-law signal transduction for both LM and CM and (c) the summing device integrates over spatially-interdigitated LM and CM signals when they are co-oriented, but not when crossoriented. The spatial pooling mechanism that we have identified would be a good candidate component for amodule involved in representing visual textures, including their spatial extent.

Biodiversity of the surface microbial consortia from Limburger, Reblochon, Livarot, Tilsit, and Gubbeen cheeses

Comprehensive collaborative studies from our laboratories reveal the extensive biodiversity of the microflora of the surfaces of smear-ripened cheeses. Two thousand five hundred ninety-seven strains of bacteria and 2,446 strains of yeasts from the surface of the smear-ripened cheeses Limburger, Reblochon, Livarot, Tilsit, and Gubbeen, isolated at three or four times during ripening, were identified; 55 species of bacteria and 30 species of yeast were found. The microfloras of the five cheeses showed many similarities but also many differences and interbatch variation. Very few of the commercial smear microorganisms, deliberately inoculated onto the cheese surface, were reisolated and then mainly from the initial stages of ripening, implying that smear cheese production units must have an adventitious "house" flora. Limburger cheese had the simplest microflora, containing two yeasts, Debaryomyces hansenii and Geotrichum candidum, and two bacteria, Arthrobacter arilaitensis and Brevibacterium aurantiacum. The microflora of Livarot was the most complicated, comprising 10 yeasts and 38 bacteria, including many gram-negative organisms. Reblochon also had a very diverse microflora containing 8 yeasts and 13 bacteria (excluding gram-negative organisms which were not identified), while Gubbeen had 7 yeasts and 18 bacteria and Tilsit had 5 yeasts and 9 bacteria. D. hansenii was by far the dominant yeast, followed in order by G. candidum, Candida catenulata, and Kluyveromyces lactis. B. aurantiacum was the dominant bacterium and was found in every batch of the 5 cheeses. The next most common bacteria, in order, were Staphylococcus saprophyticus, A. arilaitensis, Corynebacterium casei, Corynebacterium variabile, and Microbacterium gubbeenense. S. saprophyticus was mainly found in Gubbeen, and A. arilaitensis was found in all cheeses but not in every batch. C. casei was found in most batches of Reblochon, Livarot, Tilsit, and Gubbeen. C. variabile was found in all batches of Gubbeen and Reblochon but in only one batch of Tilsit and in no batch of Limburger or Livarot. Other bacteria were isolated in low numbers from each of the cheeses, suggesting that each of the 5 cheeses has a unique microflora. In Gubbeen cheese, several different strains of the dominant bacteria were present, as determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and many of the less common bacteria were present as single clones. The culture-independent method, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, resulted in identification of several bacteria which were not found by the culture-dependent (isolation and rep-PCR identification) method. It was thus a useful complementary technique to identify other bacteria in the cheeses. The gross composition, the rate of increase in pH, and the indices of proteolysis were different in most of the cheeses.

Produção do espaço e reestruturação produtiva do setor de laticínio no Rio Grande do Norte

Since the 1970s, Brazil has gone through several changes in its economic and productive structures, which have symbiotic relationship with the organization and dynamics of the Brazilian territory. This set of economic, social and technical-scientific transformations developed in the amid the productive capital restructuring, a process that occurs on a global scale, but that effective with particularities in different places. Adopting this presuposition the present research had as main objective analyze the productive restructuring of the dairy sector in Rio Grande do Norte, highlighting its relationship with production process / organization of space and its impact on the social relations of production. The adopted methodology to elaborate of this study was based on the achievement a bibliographic review with regard to proceedings of production of space and productive restructuring, document research about the dynamics of the dairy sector in Rio Grande do Norte, as well as on regulatory instructions governing the dairy production in Brazil, we achieve parallel secondary data collection, with official organs such as IBGE, EMATER and SINDLEITE. Another important methodological resource was the realization of the field research, which enabled us to empirically understand the distinct realities lived by agents acting on milk production system in Rio Grande do Norte. The analyzes performed nevertheless evidence that the restructuring process in the dairy sector is fomented, greatly by state,that finance, encourages and normatizes the production of milk in the country. In the specific case of Rio Grande do Norte, this process is boosted by the creation of "Programa do Leite," which by constituting of an institutional market, contributes to the strengthening and expansion of industries, the detriment of the artisanal processing sector. Nevertheless family farmers continue to act in the activity, be only producing and trading fresh milk, supplying milk to processing units, mediating the production of their peers or by the craft benefiting milk in traditional cheese factories presents in the entire state of Rio Grande do Norte. The results reveal that it is a complex web of social relations of production that are established at the heart of laticinista activity in the Rio Grande Norte, these are summarily marked by relations of competition and complementarity between industrial and artisanal processing of milk

Qualidade do leite de búfala (Bubalus bubalis) suplementada com selênio

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of diet with selenium on the physico-chemical composition and somatic cell count of buffalo milk, and check the selenium waste in milk and minas kind fresh cheese. For the analysis of physical-chemical composition and SCC were used 2264 buffalo milk data from the Murrah, belonging to Tapuio Ltda, located in the agreste region of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the period 2010 to 2014. To check the amount of selenium residue in buffalo milk and fresh cheese mines were used 100 Murrah buffaloes divided into 5 lots. The batches were formed according to the production levels of animals, wherein the amount of concentrate fed varied within each lot, which received 0.08 ppm / Se / kg of concentrate. Was collected from 300 ml of tank milk from and each lot, as well as 300 gr minas cheese, from August to November 2014, with the collection of lots held only in the month of November. The samples were sent to the Pernambuco Tecnology Institute for selenium residue analysis. The effect of the seasons was contrasted in two ways, namely: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter season or drought and rainy season. The analyzes statistics were performed using the procedures available in the software SAS® (SAS, 2002). Selenium level provided to the animals in this study was not significant to the point of detection of their residue in milk and the cheeses. However, it influences the reduction of the CCS. The milk characteristics were not affected by selenium use only the seasons.

Qualidade do leite de búfala (Bubalus bubalis) suplementada com selênio

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of diet with selenium on the physico-chemical composition and somatic cell count of buffalo milk, and check the selenium waste in milk and minas kind fresh cheese. For the analysis of physical-chemical composition and SCC were used 2264 buffalo milk data from the Murrah, belonging to Tapuio Ltda, located in the agreste region of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the period 2010 to 2014. To check the amount of selenium residue in buffalo milk and fresh cheese mines were used 100 Murrah buffaloes divided into 5 lots. The batches were formed according to the production levels of animals, wherein the amount of concentrate fed varied within each lot, which received 0.08 ppm / Se / kg of concentrate. Was collected from 300 ml of tank milk from and each lot, as well as 300 gr minas cheese, from August to November 2014, with the collection of lots held only in the month of November. The samples were sent to the Pernambuco Tecnology Institute for selenium residue analysis. The effect of the seasons was contrasted in two ways, namely: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter season or drought and rainy season. The analyzes statistics were performed using the procedures available in the software SAS® (SAS, 2002). Selenium level provided to the animals in this study was not significant to the point of detection of their residue in milk and the cheeses. However, it influences the reduction of the CCS. The milk characteristics were not affected by selenium use only the seasons.

Influencia del manejo reproductivo sobre los índices productivos de una explotación intensiva de ovino lechero de raza Lacaune de España. Bases para la mejora de la productividad

La raza ovina lechera Lacaune, originaria de Francia a partir de la fusión de diferentes razas locales, es la oveja de la leche que se utiliza para la elaboración del queso Roquefort. Esta raza, sometida desde hace más de 30 años a un riguroso esquema de selección genética, se ha convertido en una de las razas ovinas lecheras de mayor rendimiento del mundo, con un promedio de producción de leche acumulada de 283 l en lactaciones medias de 160 días. Desde 1992, 17 países, entre ellos España, han importado de Francia animales seleccionados de raza Lacaune a través de la asociación oficial de criadores. Los sistemas productivos en estos países no enmarcados dentro de la región de Roquefort son muy distintos al manejo tradicional impuesto para la Denominación de Origen (D.O.) de este queso, y sin embargo, la información referente a índices y objetivos en los sistemas productivos de ovejas de raza Lacaune en manejo intensivo es escasa. Si bien, aunque disponemos de algunos datos preliminares respecto a la producción media de esta raza en España, descritos por la cooperativa COVAP, de medias de 405 litros por lactación con lactaciones medias de 175 días de duración, y por la Asociación Española de la Raza Lacaune (AESLA), con datos medios de 304 kg de leche por lactación estandarizada a 160 días de ordeño, carecemos de medidas estandarizadas generales, y de indicaciones de manejo adaptadas a estas ovejas, grandes productoras...

Bioengineering of nisin to enhance functionality against dairy pathogens

The bacteriocin class of antimicrobial peptides have emerged as a viable alternative to at least partially fill the void created by the end of the golden age of antibiotic discovery. Along with this potential use in a clinical setting, bacteriocins also play an important role as bio-preservatives in the food industry. This thesis focuses on a specific bacteriocin group, the lantibiotics (Lanthionine-containing antibiotics). Their numerous methods of appliance in a food setting and how their gene-encoded nature can be modified to improve on overall bioactivity and functionality are explored here. The use of a lantibiotic (lacticin 3147) producing starter culture to control the Crohn’s disease-linked pathogen Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was assessed in a raw milk cheese. Although lacticin 3147 production did not effectively control the pathogen, the study provided an impetus to employ a variety of PCR-based mutagenesis techniques with a view to the creation of enhanced lantibiotic derivatives. Through the use of these techniques, a number of enhanced derivatives were generated from the ‘hinge’ region of the nisin peptide. Furthermore, a derivative in which the three hinge amino acids were replaced with three alanines represents the first enhanced derivative of nisin to have been designed through a rational process. This derivative also formed the backbone for the creation of an active, trypsin resistant, variant. Through the employment of further mutagenesis methods a derivative was created with potential use as an oral anti-bacterial in the future. Finally a number of lead nisin derivatives were investigated to assess their anti- Streptococcus agalactiae ability, a mastitis associated pathogen. Also a system was developed to facilitate the large scale production of these candidates, or other nisin derivatives, from dairy substrates.

Descriptions of 104 gravity and piston sediment cores from POLARSTERN expedition ARK-VIII/3 to the Arctic Ocean

Sediment descriptions and lithostratigraphy (chapter 6.4) NANSEN BASIN The upperrnost 20-50 cm of sedirnents in the Nansen Basin norrnally cornprise soft dark brown, brown-grayish and brown clay. Except for the toprnost clay, the four piston cores retrieved, contained quite different lithologies: a rnuddy diarnicton with outsized clasts (PS2157-6), sandy-silt beds alternating with clay beds (PS2159-6), and silty clay beds of brownish and grayish colours (PS2161-3). Core PS2208-3 was retrieved frorn a plateau on a searnount. The plateau was serni-encircled by hills. The upper 250 cm of this core cornprise brown and olive brown clays. Below these are several sandlayers and a 74 cm thick unit of a sandy mud with rnud-clasts up to 20 cm in diameter. GAKKEL RIDGE The uppermost 20-50 cm of sediments on the Gakkel Ridge comprise soft dark brown, brown, grayish brown clay. In most of the cores there are two horizons of brown clay separated by olive brown clay. The upper horizon is darker. The older stratigraphy is rather varied. Core PS2165-1 contains several thin gray sandlsilt layers, probably distal turbidites. The sarne is found in Core PS2167-1. This core also has a thick (approx. 2 rn) coarse grained turbidite containing large rnud clasts and basaltic rock fragrnents. The color of the turbiditic layers is dark gray. There are several horizons of hernipelagic sandylsilty clays with quite a variety in colours; black, gray, olive, brown, yellowish brown and reddish. The colour variation rnay be due to hydrotherrnal activity or provenance or a shift in redox potential. Cores PS2168-2 and PS2169-1 have typical sequences of very dark gray sandy mud with sharp lower boundaries grading upwards into olive brown clay. Below the lower boundary is often a thin (1-2 cm) gray clay layer. AMUNDSEN BASIN The giant box cores (GKG) provided in most cases excellently preserved sedirnent surfaces which consisted in the entire Amundsen Basin of dark brown to dark grayish brown silty clay with few dropstones and common calcareous microfossils (foraminifers and calcareous nannofossils). The brown and grayish brown color of the sediment surface is a result of the oxidizing conditions at the seafloor due to the rapid renewal of the bottom water rnasses. Planktic forarninifers and calcareous nannofossils are relatively frequent and well preserved despite the rernote location of the basin and its water depths of >4000 rn. Srnear slide descriptions have shown that the surface sedirnents consist dorninantly of clays to silty rnuds with clay rninerals and quartz as the rnost important constituents. The coarse fractions contained besides planktic and benthic forarninifers and coarse clastic rnaterials, rare bivalves, dropstones and mud clasts. The Station PS2190 at the North Pole is a particular good exarnple of the type of sedirnents deposited at the sea floor surface of the Arnundsen Basin, with hornogenous dark brown soft clay covering a sedirnent sequence of highly variable cornposition. Nurnerous giant box cores also provide insight into the detailed lithostratigraphy of the upperrnost sedirnent layers. Twelve box cores have been collected frorn the Arnundsen Basin. Below the youngest unit of 5-20 crn thick silty clays deposits of variable stratigraphies have been found, rnostly consisting of clays or silty clays. In a few instances turbidites have been observed. Benthic forarninifers have not been found in the surface sedirnents. Other fossils were extrernely rare. Bioturbation is weakly developed on all stations. Benthic anirnals seern to live only in and on the upperrnost 2 cm of the uppermost sediment layer. They cornprise amphipods (on all stations) and holothurians, bryozoans, polychaetes, and porifers at one station each. LOMONOSOV RIDGE Sediments from the Lomonosov Ridge show a variety of colors and textures. Following smear slide analyses they are composed mostly of clay minerals and quartz with mica and feldspars, especially in the siltier and sandier parts. Volcanic glass, microcrystalline carbonate, opaque minerals and green amphibole are occasional accessories. The sediments from the Lomonosov Ridge show a noticeable difference from sediments collected from the surrounding basins. Lomonosov Ridge sediments are richer in silt and sand than basin sediments. Occasional turbidites occur in ridge sediments but these must be of entirely local origin. The ridge sediments include frequent layers of "cottage cheese" texture made up of what appear to be small, angular mud clasts of a variety of colors.

La cerámica del yacimiento arqueológico de Castillejo del Bonete (Terrinches, Ciudad Real). Estudio morfológico y tecnólogico

El presente trabajo incluye el estudio de un amplio conjunto cerámico perteneciente al yacimiento arqueológico de la Edad del Cobre y Edad del Bronce de Castillejo del Bonete. La muestra fue recuperada de distintas áreas del asentamiento durante la campaña de excavación de 2012. La investigación ha tenido como fin conocer mejor la relación forma-función de las vasijas, su proceso de fabricación, así como el modelo productivo y las posibles manifestaciones simbólicas presentes en el repertorio analizado. La metodología utilizada para cumplir con los objetivos se ha basado en la recopilación de datos, considerando una serie de variables morfológicas y tecnológicas, y su procesamiento con el empleo de técnicas estadísticas sencillas.

Big Data Analysis in Social Networks : Extracting Food Preferences of Vegans from Twitter

Market research is often conducted through conventional methods such as surveys, focus groups and interviews. But the drawbacks of these methods are that they can be costly and timeconsuming. This study develops a new method, based on a combination of standard techniques like sentiment analysis and normalisation, to conduct market research in a manner that is free and quick. The method can be used in many application-areas, but this study focuses mainly on the veganism market to identify vegan food preferences in the form of a profile. Several food words are identified, along with their distribution between positive and negative sentiments in the profile. Surprisingly, non-vegan foods such as cheese, cake, milk, pizza and chicken dominate the profile, indicating that there is a significant market for vegan-suitable alternatives for such foods. Meanwhile, vegan-suitable foods such as coconut, potato, blueberries, kale and tofu also make strong appearances in the profile. Validation is performed by using the method on Volkswagen vehicle data to identify positive and negative sentiment across five car models. Some results were found to be consistent with sales figures and expert reviews, while others were inconsistent. The reliability of the method is therefore questionable, so the results should be used with caution.

Caractérisation de l'impact des conditions opératoires sur l'efficience d'un procédé de concentration du lait par ultrafiltration

Les concentrés de protéines de lait sont couramment utilisés comme ingrédients lors de la standardisation du lait de fromagerie. La concentration des protéines est généralement réalisée par ultrafiltration (UF) à l’aide de membranes polymériques ayant un seuil de coupure de 10 kDa, et ce, jusqu’à un facteur de concentration volumique de 3.5X. Dans l’optique d’améliorer l’efficience du procédé d’UF, l’étude avait pour but de caractériser l’impact du mode opératoire (pression transmembranaire constante (465 et 672 kPa) et flux constant) ainsi que la température (10°C et 50°C) sur la performance du système jusqu’à un facteur de concentration volumique de 3.6X. Le module de filtration à l’échelle pilote comprenait une membrane d’UF en polyéthersulfone de 10 kDa d’une surface de 2,04 m2. La performance du système a été caractérisée sur le flux de perméation, la sélectivité et la consommation énergétique totale. L’étude a montré que le flux de perméation était 1,9 fois plus élevé à une température de 50°C comparativement à 10°C lors de l’UF du lait. Le coefficient de rejet des protéines n’a pas été affecté significativement par la pression transmembranaire et la température (P< 0,05). L’effet de la température a été observé au niveau de la teneur en calcium, laquelle était plus élevée de 12% dans les rétentats générés à 50C. La consommation énergétique totale du système d’UF était plus élevée à 10C comparativement à 50C, représentant 0,32±0,02 et 0,26±0,04 kWh/kg rétentat respectivement. Les résultats montrent que le ratio d’efficience énergétique (rapport entre le flux de perméation et la consommation énergétique) optimal a été obtenu à faible pression transmembranaire constante et à 50C. L’approche développée dans le cadre de ce projet fournira des outils aux industriels laitiers pour améliorer l’éco-efficience de leurs procédés de séparation baromembranaire.

Little Dairy on the Prairie: From Butter-makin' Women to High-tech Agriculture, July 10, 2008

In 2001, extensive archaeological excavations were conducted at the Oneida Cheese Factory in Jones County. The county is a microcosm of larger dairying trends found throughout northeast Iowa, the state's premier dairy-producing region, Jones County moved from homemade cheese and butter production by farm women, to the industrialization of the dairy farm and opening of cheese factories and butter creameries.A number of innovations affected the industry around the turn-of-the-twentieth century, including reliable butterfat testing, the introduction of ensilage (silos) that created year round milk production, and consolidation of the many local creameries into larger creamery organizations, such as the Diamond Creamery run by Henry D. Sherman of Jones County. Iowa's dairy industry of today looks very different from its heritage: consolidation and competition have drastically reduced the number of cows, dairy farms, and processing plants. In recent years, northeast Iowa has become the center of a movement to revitalize Iowa's dairy industry, particularly through the use of value-added strategies, such as niche markets and large regional co-operatives: the lessons from Iowa's dairying legacy are resurfacing as a solution to modern agricultural challenges.

Effet de réduction en sodium sur la texture et la bioaccessibilité des protéines d’un fromage à pâte molle à croûte fleurie

Le sel (NaCl) joue plusieurs rôles importants dans les fromages aux niveaux technologique, microbiologique et organoleptique. Cependant, le sodium, un facteur de risque des maladies cardiovasculaires, est consommé en trop grande quantité par les Canadiens. Comme la réduction du sodium pourrait affecter la texture des fromages à pâte molle à croûte fleurie et la libération des nutriments pendant la digestion, l’impact de la réduction du sodium sur la bioaccessibilité des protéines dans le fromage Brie a été étudié. Ainsi, la composition et les caractéristiques texturales de fromages Brie ayant différentes teneurs en sodium (standard, réduite, substituée au KCl) ont été analysées. Une réduction du sodium de 23 % a été obtenue pour les fromages réduits en sodium. Le temps d’affinage affecte la protéolyse et la texture des fromages. La cinétique de dégradation de la matrice fromagère et la libération des protéines ont été déterminées par une approche de digestion in vitro. La désintégration de la matrice fromagère et la libération des protéines pendant la digestion in vitro ne sont pas différentes entre les fromages expérimentaux. Ces travaux démontrent qu’il est possible de réduire le sodium sans affecter le profil de protéolyse et la texture pendant l’affinage du fromage Brie ainsi que son comportement à la digestion.

Produção de biopolímeros por culturas microbianas mistas selecionadas

Com a realização deste trabalho, pretendeu-se efetuar uma seleção de culturas mistas em reatores semi-descontínuos (SBR) com capacidade de acumulação de polihidroxialcanoatos (PHA). Para a seleção de culturas foram utilizados inóculos provenientes de diferentes Estações de Tratamento de Águas Residuais (ETAR) e ácidos orgânicos voláteis (AOV) como fonte de carbono. Foram testadas diferentes condições como a proveniência do inóculo, as cargas orgânicas aplicadas e a seleção de culturas utilizando soro de queijo. Verificaram-se elevadas remoções da CQO (acima de 90%) em grande parte dos ensaios realizados, apresentando uma acumulação de PHA por parte de algumas espécies de bactérias presentes. Ocorreu o aparecimento de microrganismos filamentosos com capacidade de acumulação de PHA em alguns ensaios, levando a serem testadas como culturas acumuladoras de PHA. A estabilidade das culturas mistas não foi atingida, mesmo havendo ensaios com 80 dias de operação. Efetuaram-se ensaios de acumulação de PHA em reatores descontínuos, utilizando as culturas selecionadas anteriormente em reatores SBR, com AOV provenientes da acidificação anaeróbia de diferentes resíduos (Fração Orgânica dos Resíduos Sólidos Urbanos - FORSU e Soro de Queijo). Verificou-se uma melhor acumulação por parte das culturas selecionadas com soro de queijo, na qual a quantidade de polímero acumulado triplicou.

Queijo minas padrão com reduzido teor de sódio: composição e caracterização sensorial

Sodium is an essential nutrient with important functions in the organism, however, its ingestion in excess may cause various health problems such as arterial hypertension, brain diseases, heart failure and chronic renal failure. In this context, the present study proposes to prepare Minas Padrão cheese with different contents of sodium with the objective of evaluating the effect of the addition of potassium chloride in sensory characteristics and hysicochemical properties, as well as in the proximal composition and in microbiological quality. The cheeses were elaborate in concentrations of 100% of NaCl (C), 80% of NaCl + 20% of KCl (T1), 60% of NaCl + 40% of KCl (T2), 40% of NaCl + 60% of KCl (T3) and 20% of NaCl + 80% of KCl (T4) and stored for 20 days at 10 ºC. The proximal composition and physicochemical was based on the determination of moisture content, fat, protein, ash, chloride, sodium, potassium, titratable acidity and pH of all treatments after 20 days of storage. The microbiological quality of the samples was monitored through the count of Total Coliforms and Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., mold and yeast in the first and fifteenth day of storage. The sensorial characterization was performed by the technique of Free Profile choice. The results showed that the replacement of sodium chloride by potassium in the Minas Padrão cheese in concentration higher than 40% presented significantly higher moisture contents. Cheese with a reduction greater than 60% of sodium obtained significantly effect in the titratable acidity, presenting higher values compared to the other treatments. The cheese with 20% of salt replacement did not differ statistically in relation to the control. When the proportion of substituent was increased, a significant reduction of the sodium content of up to 73% was observed. As the sodium was replaced by potassium in cheese, the potassium content increased significantly, stablishing a reduction of 82% in relation to the control. There was no effect to sodium substitution by potassium in fat, protein, ash and chlorides, as well as the pH values. The microbiological results were in accordance with the current legislation, therefore suitable to be eaten. According to the Free Profile Choice technique it was observed that the control C cheese (100% of NaCl) showed results very close to the other treatments, differing only in flavor attributes. The replacement of sodium by potassium in proportions of 20% contributed to a bitter taste detected by the tasters. Whereas, the appearance, flavor and texture attributes showed no significant differences compared to the Minas Padrão cheese.