O Selo Arte e as características dos queijos artesanais de Minas Gerais: Canastra e do Serro

Abstract

Brazilian artisanal cheeses have great historical, socioeconomic and cultural importance. The Arte seal, which identifies artisanal products, seeks to stimulate the production and sale of these products. The objective of this work, through a literature review, was to discuss the Arte seal, aspects of microbiological safety, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and characteristics of the production process of artisanal cheeses. Obtaining the Arte seal is subject to the fulfillment of certain requirements, such as the use of raw materials from its own production or specific origin and predominantly manual techniques and tools. In addition, the producer must have full control of the production process, adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and guarantee the safety of the product. The main challenges to ensure the microbiological safety of Brazilian artisanal cheeses are attributed to the use of unpasteurized milk and failures in good hygiene and manufacturing practices. The microbiota presents in cheeses, represented mainly by lactic acid bacteria originating from raw milk, the manufacturing environment and the endogenous culture known as “pingo”, confers the distinct sensory characteristics of aroma, flavor and color of different cheeses. In addition, the different producing regions have their own environmental conditions for maturation, such as humidity and temperature, which also affect the characteristics of the cheeses. The Arte seal encourages and regulates the production and commercialization of Brazilian artisanal products, promoting the appreciation of artisanal production.