ABSTRACT
We aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, production yield, and economic viability of Minas Frescal cheese produced with milk from buffaloes supplemented with açai seed as a substitute for corn meal. The experiment used five Murrah crossbred buffaloes with a mean body weight of 577 ± 20.4 kg, maintained under Megathyrsus maximus cv. Mombaça grazing in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. The treatments comprised four concentrate supplements, in which açai seed replaced corn meal at 0, 33, 66, and 100% substitution, and a control with no concentrate supplementation. Replacement of corn meal with açai seed in buffalo diet had no effect on chemical composition of produced cheese (P > 0.05) nor was there any difference in chemical composition between the control group and animals supplemented with concentrate (P > 0.05). The adjusted cheese yield (kg cheese/cow/day) demonstrated a quadratic pattern with maximum production at 33% açai seed substitution (P < 0.05). Hence, the profitability index (percentage of gross revenue) was greatest at this replacement level. In conclusion, 33% açai seed replacement of corn meal in the supplement of buffalo under a grazing regime improved the individual yield of Minas Frescal cheese without changing its chemical composition.
