Composition of Medium Volatility (Simultaneous Distillation Extraction—SDE) Aromatic Fraction of Pressed, Uncooked Paste Cheese (Mahón Cheese)

Abstract

This paper offers a contribution to the study of the aromatic fraction of uncooked paste cheeses made from cow's milk. Due to the acidic nature of this type of cheese, the main aromatic fraction studied was the acidic aromatic fraction. Research focused on Spanish Mahón cheese of certified origin, manufactured from pasteurized milk and ripened for two months. This study resulted in 28 components being identified, i.e., 11 fatty acids (butanoic acid, 3-methyl butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, 10-undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid and tetradecanoic acid); six ethyl esters (ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate, ethyl tetradecanoate and ethyl hexadecanoate); one aldehyde (nonanal); four methyl ketones (2-pentanone, 2-heptanone, 2-nonanone and 2-undecanone); three alcohols (2-methyl pentanol, 1-heptanol and 2-6 diterbutyl p-cresol); two n-alkene hydrocarbons (2-methyl 4-nonene and 3-tetradecene) and one aromatic hydrocarbon (limonene). The highest levels were those of non-branched aliphatic fatty acids: decanoic, hexanoic, octanoic and butanoic acids. The volatile fraction was isolated using the combined simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE) procedure. The components were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and quantified by applying standard internal procedures. The results obtained were compared with those found in literature, which revealed that the levels of these compounds, which are found in many other varieties of cheese, vary considerably.