To preserve the taste, smell and texture of a cheese during its whole manufacturing process is one of the challenges of this industry.
Research into this with new technologies is always ongoing.
One example: high hydrostatic pressure.
High-pressure technology is an innovative processing technique which consists of applying high pressure with water.
The foodstuff is subjected to pressures as if it were submerged in the deepest part of the ocean.
Thus, you can activate microorganisms and increase the shelf life of the product.
This is the research technique which has been applied to the torta del Casar and Evora,
varieties of cheese which are very similar and important for the Euroace region.
In this project the main objective is to improve the safety of unpasteurized cheeses
and apply high pressure to modify certain parameters of the maturation process,
so as to achieve effects like a longer shelf life, or a shorter maturation process for certain kinds of cheese.
We expect that the results will be very interesting for producers, both of torta del Casar and Evora,
and that they'll be able to sell products of the highest quality and more safely.
This could help their entry into foreign markets and give a longer period for sales.