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

Abstract

In order to obtain a Protected Designation of Origin, it is necessary to characterize the food product. The objective of this work was to investigate whether there was a single Andalusian artisanal goat' milk cheese or several types, depending on the goat breed and/or the cheese-making process (milk heat treatment, rennet type or ripening time). One hundred and eight artisanal goat cheeses, representative of the whole area of Andalusia and widely distributed, have been physicochemically analyzed (pH, TS, fat/TS, and NaCl). Linear regression models were suitable for studying which factors had an independent influence on the physicochemical parameters of these cheeses, the breed and the ripening time being the most influential factors. A Kmeans cluster analysis with the principal component analysis (PCA) scores was made in order to find profiles which defined these cheeses. The first group was composed of Malagueña fresh cheeses made with pasteurized milk and microbial rennet and which had a higher pH (6.2) and lower values of TS (53.5), fat (26.1), fat/TS (49.2), and NaCl (1.5) than the second cheese group. The second profile was made up of MurcianoGranadina and multi-breed semihard and hard cheeses made with pasteurized or raw milk and animal or vegetable rennet and having lower pH values (5.4) than group 1 and higher TS (62.5), fat (34.4), fat/ TS (54.7), and NaCl (2.0) values than group 1. These results could support the Quesos de Málaga Producer's Association that is interested in applying for the Málaga fresh cheese quality certification (Protected Designation of Origin).

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

“…a). Murciano‐Granadina cheeses had a larger fat content and a lower pH than the Malagueña ones (De la Haba Ruiz et al ., ), the latter constituent of the milk being the one most influencing the development of the characteristic flavour of the cheeses (Mcsweeney & Sousa, ). Thus, the cheeses with a higher fat content had greater odour/aroma intensity (Pizzillo et al ., ; Morand‐Fehr et al ., ; Sanchez‐Macias et al ., ).…”

“…These cheeses are made of either raw or pasteurised goat's milk from Andalusia's indigenous breeds (Malagueña, Murciano-Granadina, Florida, Payoya) or multi-breed herds. The cheeses have a natural rind and are cylindrical with different sizes (De la Haba Ruiz et al, 2016). Andalusia has a large variety of excellent quality cheeses linked to the territory of origin.…”

“…It is ripened in chambers at a temperature of 10-12°C with a relative humidity ranging from 80% to 85% for 45 days (semi-hard) or longer (hard). The principle characteristics of these cheeses have been published in a previous article (De la Haba Ruiz et al, 2016).…”

Effect of Citrus By-product on Physicochemical Parameters, Sensory Analysis and Volatile Composition of Different Kinds of Cheese from Raw Goat Milk

“…Half of each batch was clotted using a commercial animal rennet and the other half, using a commercial vegetable rennet, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The cheeses were made with raw milk (in the fifth month of lactation) and without adding a starter culture, following traditional methods [ 11 ]. Briefly, after heating to 32 °C, the animal (Avances Bioquímicos Alimentación S.L., Pontevedra, Spain; about 0.25 mL per litre of milk) or vegetal (thistle Cynara cardunculus L., Avances Bioquímicos Alimentación S.L.…”

“…Total solids (TS, g/100 g cheese), pH, fat (g/100 g cheese), fat/TS (g/100 g TS), and sodium chloride (g/100 g cheese) were analysed according to De la Haba et al [ 11 ]. Fat content was measured according to the FIL-IDF methods [ 12 ].…”