Alternatives for Improving Physical, Chemical, and Sensory Characteristics of Goat Cheeses: The Use of Arid-Land Forages in the Diet

Abstract

To establish the effect of an alternative diet on the quality of Majorero cheese, the basic physicochemical parameters, fatty acid profile, and sensory characteristics were studied. Two groups of 20 Majorero goats were fed 2 different diets: a forage diet (DF), which had a high ratio of long fiber to concentrates (65:35), and a concentrate diet (DC), with a low ratio of long fiber to concentrates (35:65). The DF dietary fiber was supplied by native forages adapted to arid land. A total of 42 Majorero goat cheeses were used for this study: 21 in the DF group and 21 in the DC group. Seven cheeses from each group were tested after 2, 15, and 60 d of ripening. The milk produced by goats fed the DF diet had a higher fat concentration. No significant differences were observed in the milk fatty acid profile. The diet affected the chemical composition of the cheese in pH and fat content, and fat was significantly higher in cheeses made from DF milk than those from DC milk. Dietary characteristics had important effects on the medium-chain fatty acid composition (C6 to C14) of the cheese fat, giving DF cheeses the specific goat's milk flavor that is sought after for this type of cheese. The fatty acid composition (%) differed substantially among different ripening times. The DF cheeses were more appreciated by the panelists, as they had a greater variety of odors and flavors than the DC cheeses. The DF hard cheeses were described as having vegetable and fruity tones as well as tones of hay and dried fruit.

Chemical, textural and sensorial changes during the ripening of Majorero goat cheese

“…A significant decrease in pH, of around one unit, was observed in the first 15 days of ripening, confirming an important metabolic activity of lactic acid bacteria. The pH drop, although less pronounced, continued until the 30th day of ripening and then showed a slight increase in 60‐ and 90‐day‐old cheese, as was reported by Álvarez et al. (2007a) for experimental Majorero cheese manufactured from different goat diets and Fresno et al.…”

“…It is important to note that, contrary to other Majorero experimental cheeses (Álvarez et al. 2007a), when Majorero PDO cheeses became drier, they did not become firmer and more crumbly.…”

Classification of artisanal Andalusian cheeses on physicochemical parameters applying multivariate statistical techniques

“…The final average pH data observed in our study showed values of 6.0 for fresh, 5.5 for semihard and 5.4 for hard cheeses. These pH fluctuations were also observed by other researchers, who reported a significant decrease in pH in the first 15 days of ripening that continued, although it was less pronounced, until the 30th day of ripening and then it showed a slight increase in 60-and 90-day-old cheeses (Alvarez et al 2007). The pH values obtained in our study were close to the range of values observed by different authors for other goat's milk cheeses manufactured in Andalusia (Fernández-Salguero and Gómez Díaz 1997) and in other regions of Spain (Fresno and Alvarez 2012;Fresno et al 2011;Gonzalez-Fandos et al 2000;Peláez Puerto et al 2004;Tejada et al 2008).…”

“…None of these cheeses come from the Andalusian region. Although there are studies of goat cheese characteristics in Camerano cheese (Gonzalez-Fandos et al 2000), in Ibores cheese (Mas et al 2002), in Majorero cheese (Alvarez et al 2007;Fresno and Alvarez 2012;Sanchez-Macias et al 2010), in Murcia al Vino cheese , in Palmero cheese (Fresno et al 2011), and in Tenerife cheese (Peláez Puerto et al 2004), reports on traditional Andalusian cheeses have been sparse or not updating (Fernández-Salguero and Gómez Díaz 1997) or examining their nutritional aspects (Moreno-Rojas et al 2010). To the best of our knowledge, no recent studies have reported the effect of the breed, ripening time, rennet type, or heat treatment on the physicochemical properties of Andalusian artisanal goat's milk cheese.…”

Linear regression models for estimating the effect of technological factors on the sensory characteristics of goat cheeses

“…Ripening affects all the sensory attributes of cheeses (Tables 3 and 4, Figure 1 c) due to the intense lipolytic and proteolytic reactions taking place in them (Morgan & Gaborit, 2001;Ferrandini et al, 2011). Thus, throughout ripening, an increase in colour, overall odour, overall aroma, persistence, salty and acid tastes and in sensations of piquancy and pungency intensities were produced (Cabezas et al, 2006;Tejada et al, 2006;Alvarez et al, 2007;Fresno & Alvarez, 2012). In the same way, texture attributes were modified, increasing their hardness due to a loss of moisture (Cabezas et al, 2006;Tejada et al, 2006;Fresno & Alvarez, 2012;Garc ıa et al, 2016) and reducing their elasticity (Fresno & Alvarez, 2012) and solubility (Garc ıa et al, 2016).…”