A large variety of cheeses exist in Brazil, reflecting historical and cultural aspects. Brazilian artisanal cheeses present differences in the processing, ripening time (when applied), type of milk used, texture, size, shape, color, moisture content, flavor, the use or not of starter cultures, among others. This review describes the main artisanal cheeses produced in Brazil, focusing on general and particular characteristics associated with their making process and geographical identity. Overall, the high variability of the physicochemical data and deficiency of information on sensorial properties of Brazilian artisanal cheeses were noticed. On the other hand, culture‐dependent methods were mostly used to expand the knowledge into the microbiology of these cheeses, whereas their microbial diversity has been recently discovered through the use of 16S rRNA gene sequencing‐based methods. The certification of a geographical indication for Brazilian artisanal cheeses may encompass an essential milestone for adding value to these products. Regardless of their significance in the diet, culture, and economy of producing regions, taken together, the reviewed literature discloses the need of insightful studies to generate scientific data to support the expansion of the market, while ensuring the protection of historic aspects related to the production of Brazilian artisanal cheeses.

中文翻译：

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巴西手工奶酪：特征，主要类型和监管方面的概述

巴西存在各种各样的奶酪，反映了历史和文化方面。巴西手工奶酪在加工，熟化时间（使用时），所用牛奶的类型，质地，大小，形状，颜色，水分，风味，使用或不使用发酵剂等方面存在差异。这篇评论描述了巴西生产的主要手工奶酪，着重于与制造过程和地理特征相关的一般和特殊特征。总体而言，人们注意到理化数据的高度可变性以及巴西手工奶酪的感官特性方面的信息不足。另一方面，依赖于文化的方法通常用于将知识扩展到这些奶酪的微生物学中，而最近通过使用基于16S rRNA基因测序的方法发现了它们的微生物多样性。巴西手工奶酪的地理标志认证可能包含为这些产品增加价值的重要里程碑。不管它们在生产地区的饮食，文化和经济中的重要性如何，综合来看，回顾的文献都揭示了需要进行有见地的研究，以产生科学的数据来支持市场的扩张，同时确保保护与生产相关的历史性方面。巴西手工奶酪的生产。