Nutritional composition of ricotta from the pilot plant of the National University of Lujan. Statistical evaluation and nutritional table

Abstract

The pilot plant of the UNLu complements student training by producing cheeses and ricotta. The ricotta lacks nutritional information, which motivates the need to analyze its composition and comply with regulations. Nine samples made from whey from different cheeses were analyzed.
Moisture, ash, protein, and fat were determined using official techniques, digestible carbohydrates by difference, and calories using conversion factors.
The statistical analysis using the ANOVA test showed heterogeneity in the values for moisture and fat. They were classified according to the CAA as "Lean Ricotta" (LR) with less than 5% fat, and "Semi-fat Ricotta" (SFR) with more than 5%. The results were: moisture 80.0% (LR) and 75.3% (SFR), protein 9.3% (LR) and 9.0% (SFR), fat 4.5% (LR) and 11.0% (SFR), carbohydrates 4.6% (LR) and 3.2% (SFR), and caloric value 96 kcal% (LR) and 149 kcal% (SFR).
Two nutritional tables were prepared, one for each type of ricotta.
A correspondence was observed between the whey used in production. The (LR) comes from whey of low-moisture cheeses and the (SFR) from whey of medium- and high-moisture cheeses.