Abstract
The number of different types of cheese worldwide exceeds 4000 and dairy fat, composed of about 400 fatty acids (FA), is one of the most complex dietary fats. Cheeses are valuable sources of different bioactive FA, i.e., conjugated FA (CFA). The aim of present study was to determine FA profile of commercially available ripening cheeses, with the special emphasis on CFA profile. Multivariate analyses (cluster analysis (CA), principal component Analysis (PCA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA)) of chromatographic data have been proposed as an objective approach for evaluation and data interpretation. CA enabled the differentiation of ripening cheeses from fresh cheeses and processed cheeses. PCA allowed to differentiate some types of ripening cheese whereas proposed LDA model, based on 22 analyzed FA, enabled assessing cheeses type with average predictive sensitivities of 86.5%. Results of present study clearly demonstrated that FA and CFA content may not only contribute to overall nutritional characteristics of cheese but also, when coupled with chemometric techniques, may be used as chemical biomarkers for assessing the origin and/or the type of ripening cheeses and the confirmation of their authenticity, which is of utmost importance for consumers.
Highlights
The name ‘cheese’ is the generic name for a group of fermented milk-based food products, produced in a great range of flavors and forms throughout the world [1]
(33.5 ± 1.2%) was quantified in ENG cheeses, which significantly exceeded the content in curd cheeses (CC) and processed cheeses (PC)
That fatty acids (FA) profile of milk and dairy products can affect human health and feeding systems based on herbage, especially highland pasture, have been shown to yield milk and dairy products with FA profiles more beneficial to human health [29]
Summary
The name ‘cheese’ is the generic name for a group of fermented milk-based food products, produced in a great range of flavors and forms throughout the world [1]. As one of the most ancient forms of manufactured food cheese has a very long history, almost as long as a mankind. Cheese is defined as the fresh or matured product obtained from the coagulation of milk [3]. Cheese manufacture is practised world-wide, primarily it is a product of European countries and those populated by European emigrants. In Asia, Africa, and Latin America where tradition of cheese manufacturing and the number of cheese types is much smaller, still there are other types of dairy products (e.g., yogurt drinks in Arabic countries) considered as traditional food [1]. Technological progress has led to a multitude of different types of cheese on the market, varying in texture and Molecules 2020, 25, 1814; doi:10.3390/molecules25081814 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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