ABSTRACT
The production of cheese in Brazil is quite recent, having been consolidated from an industrial standpoint in the beginning of the twentieth century, especially after the arrival of Danish and Dutch immigrants in the state of Minas Gerais in 1920
(Furtado, 1991). Prato cheese holds a leading position in Brazilian production with 57,758 tons produced yearly. Within the universe of Brazilian cheese, Prato has the highest technological standardization; it is the best characterized commercial cheese (Oliveira, 1986; Ribeiro, 1996).
