Production, chemical composition, and economic viability of Minas Frescal cheese from buffaloes supplemented with açai seed

We aimed to evaluate the chemical composition, production yield, and economic viability of Minas Frescal cheese produced with milk from buffaloes supplemented with acai 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. Mombaca grazing in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. The treatments comprised four concentrate supplements, in which acai seed replaced corn meal at 0, 33, 66, and 100% substitution, and a control with no concentrate supplementation. Replacement of corn meal with acai 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% acai seed substitution (P < 0.05). Hence, the profitability index (percentage of gross revenue) was greatest at this replacement level. In conclusion, 33% acai 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.