EFFECTS OF MANCHEGO-TYPE CHEESE-MAKING PROCESS ON CONTENTS OF MINERALELEMENTS

Variations in mineral content were determined throughout the process o f making cheese, taking samples of natural, pasteurised milk, with add itions of rennet, curd, whey, pressed curd, pressing whey and cheese. The mean contents in cheese were 7 . 59 mg/g for calcium, 0 . 309 mg/g for magnesium, 6 . 46 mg/g for sodium, 1 . 38 mg/g for potassium and 0 . 364 mu g/g for manganese on a fresh weight basis. The contribution of the consumption of this type of product to the daily intake estima tes in a Spanish diet are 23 . 6 mg/day for calcium, 1 . 0 mg/day for magnesium, 20 . 1 mg/day for sodium, 4 . 3 mg/day for potassium and 1 . 1 mu g/day for manganese. By a variance analysis the existence of st atistically significant differences (P < 0 . 001) was confirmed in the products from the cheese-making for the five minerals, expressed both by fresh weight and dry weight. Certain differences were observed in the groups formed by using a Scheffe homogeneity test (P < 0 . 05) dep ending on whether the mineral content was expressed on a fresh weight or a dry weight basis. Slight rises in the contents of the five minera ls investigated on a dry weight basis were verified mainly due to the retention of the minerals by the curd and, secondly, by possible conta mination occurring during the process.