BOTANERO CHEESE: RECIPE, PROPERTIES AND PRECAUTIONS - NUTRITION - 2025

The botanero cheese is fresh Mexican soft cheese made using traditional methods from raw milk cow. It is typical of the Central Highlands, specifically of the northwest of the state of Mexico; that is, from the states bordering the Federal District, Tlaxcala, Puebla and Mexico.

Its name comes from the word «botana», which in Mexican slang means «aperitif», since it is usually eaten chopped into small portions accompanied by drinks, especially at parties. The peculiarity of the botanero cheese is that in its preparation chili peppers -chipotle or jalapeño- are added to the natural or pickled.

The traditional Mexican herb epazote is also usually added, as well as ham, sausage, sesame or other ingredients. The milk comes from Holstein breed cows and their production is strongly seasonal, so cheese production increases in the rainy season and decreases in the dry season.

Recipe

Botanero cheese, misnamed Manchego type cheese, has a mild flavor, a characteristic white color and a very salty flavor. It does not show bark or holes and is usually cylindrical in shape, 5 to 7 cm high.

As it is made in an artisanal way with raw milk, its hygienic-sanitary quality is often doubtful, so efforts are made to implement good manufacturing practice programs that improve hygienic measures in the process of manufacturing, storage and dispatch of the products. products.

It is necessary to point out in this sense that the seasonings that are added such as fresh Cuaresmeño chili (Capsicum annuum L) and epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides) or chipotle chili have antibacterial properties.

The recipe that will be given below incorporates pasteurization of milk into the traditional manufacturing method.

Pasteurization consists of heating the milk to a specific temperature for a defined time, and its objective is the total destruction of the pathogenic microorganisms present, as well as the maximum destruction of non-pathogens that could compromise conservation under refrigeration.

Pasteurized botanero cheese is made like this:

- The milk is strained in order to eliminate suspended particles. It is usually done in a funnel made from a blanket.

- It is then pasteurized, heating it in a container at 63 ˚C for 30 minutes, then cooling it by immersion in cold water until it reaches between 34 and 38 ˚C.

- Calcium chloride is an optional additive that is added to the milk in a proportion of 20%, to increase the cheese yield.

- The rennet is added in an amount equivalent to 1.5 ml of liquid rennet for 7 l of milk, stirred vigorously and allowed to stand. After approximately 30 minutes, it can be observed that the curd begins to separate from the container when inserting a knife, lyre or trowel.

- At that moment, the curd is cut into cubes of approximately 2 cm and allowed to stand again for approximately 5 minutes. Gently move in a circular or front to back motion so that the curd pieces are small and uniform.

- The whey is removed from the curd and gently compressed without breaking it, until most of the whey is removed.

- The curd is arranged in wooden, plastic or stainless steel molds in the form of layers (2 to 4), adding the salt, the chilies and, between layer and layer, the other ingredients as desired, such as coriander, ham, onions, carrots or garlic in vinegar, olives, capers and epazote.

- The molds are inverted after two hours, being careful not to break the curd and making sure that the whey continues to drain. The cheeses are then ready to be consumed.

Properties

The yield is relatively high since you get between 12 and 14 kg of botanero cheese for every 100 l of milk. The cheeses come in cylinders that can weigh from 250 to 500 g.

Its duration under refrigeration temperatures is 7 to 20 days, depending on hygiene during production and the ingredients added.

The most common defects found in botanero cheese are related to the following:

Pollution by bad practices

The cheese shows swelling, rot, and the presence of round holes, which are indicators of fecal contamination.

Consumption after the expiration date

In this case the surface of the cheese is slimy or the rind is moldy.

Inadequate storage under refrigeration temperatures

In this case, it would be enough to wash it and scrub it with salt water to eliminate the microorganisms present.

Precautions

Studies have been made of the hygienic quality of both the milk used as raw material, and the unpasteurized botanero cheese. In the case of milk, the mesophilic aerobic bacteria and total coliforms were analyzed; and in cheese, total and fecal coliforms were quantified.

These results were compared with that established by Mexican standards. The conclusions show that all counts exceeded the allowable value for mesophilic aerobic bacteria and total coliforms.

The standard allows up to 100 Colony Forming Units (CFU) per gram of total coliforms, and the values ​​found were well above. The absence of fecal coliforms must also be confirmed and all the botanero cheese samples showed the presence of these bacteria.

Studies conclude that not only is raw milk acquired with low microbiological quality, but also that the manufacture of cheese adds more contamination to the final product, which constitutes a risk to human health.

Inhibitory effect of the ingredients

Other works have focused on demonstrating the inhibitory effect on microbial growth of the ingredients added to botanero cheese.

The literature indicates that phenolic substances and capsaisin, an active component of hot peppers that is also present in extracts of habanero, poblano, serrano, bell pepper, among others, show an antibacterial effect against some pathogens and lactic acid bacteria.

On the other hand, epazote, paico or Mexican tea, contains ascaridol, which is a natural organic compound used as an anthelmintic in the control of nematodes.

However, although these compounds make it possible to reduce the bacterial count in terms of reducing the number of CFUs per gram, they do not make it possible for the cheese to meet the microbiological requirements demanded by the standard.

References

1. Botanero cheese (2012) in University tasks. Retrieved on March 18, 2018 from tasksuniversitarias.com
2. Espinoza-Ortega, A., Escobar-López, S., Salazar-García, F. and Martínez-Campos, Á. (2017). Analysis of the antibacterial effect of chili (Capsicum annuum spp) and epazote (Chenopudium ambrosioides) used in the production of botanero cheese. Mexican Journal of Livestock Sciences, 8 (2), p.211.
3. Technology to make botanero cheese (2012) at Fundación Produce Sinaloa AC. Retrieved on March 19, 2018 from fps.org.mx
4. Vázquez-Fontes, C., Sánchez Vera, E., Castelán-Ortega, O. and Espinoza-Ortega, A. (2010). Microbiological Quality of artisan-made Mexican botanero cheese in the Central Highlands. Journal of Food Safety, 30 (1), pp. 40-50.
5. Villegas de Gante, A., Cesín Vargas, A. and Espinoza Ortega, A. (2013). Genuine Mexican cheeses. 2nd ed. State of Mexico: College of Post Graduates.