Montasio is a typical Italian hard cheese, produced in the Friuli region from raw milk, using natural starters, and sold either as a table cheese after 60 days' ripening, or in grated form after ≥12 months ripening. As part of a study designed to improve the general quality of the cheese, the effect of the proteolytic starter strains on the ripening process and rheological and sensory characteristics was determined. 106 lactococcal strains were isolated from natural starters, of which 4 ( Enterococcus spp.) with marked proteolytic properties were selected. 3 cheesemaking trials were carried out, using a natural starter (control) or a starter made from pasteurized milk with a mixture of the enterococci, added either at the beginnning of the starter preparation or after incubating for 3 h at 43 oC. After ripening for 60 days, the cheeses were analysed for rheological (texture profile analysis, elasticity, Kramer cell test) and sensory (colour, taste, taste persistence) characteristics. Considerable differences between the 3 batches were observed, the cheese from the incubated starter giving the best overall results.
