High-pressure treatment applied throughout ripening of a goat cheese caused minimal changes on free fatty acids content and oxidation in mature cheese

Abstract

High pressure (HP) has rapidly been gaining in importance for the food processing sector due to recent technological developments and increasing consumer demand for minimally processed and healthy foods. However, it is necessary to study the effect of HP on quality parameters of each food product. Changes in free fatty acids (FFA) content and oxidation markers can modify the organoleptic properties of HP-treated cheese. For this reason, the effect of high-pressure treatment on the FFA profile and lipid and protein oxidation of raw milk goat cheese (Ibores PDO cheese) was evaluated. HP treatment at 400 or 600 MPa, at 10 °C, for 7 min was applied at three different times during ripening (1, 30 or 50 days). The differences in FFA concentration detected after HP processing had equilibrated by the end of the ripening process, that is day 60. Finally, a significant increase in lipid oxidation was detected in HP-treated mature cheeses (60 days old) while no differences were found in protein oxidation. Further studies are necessary to understand the relationship between sensory properties and lipid oxidation changes induced by HP treatment of Ibores PDO cheese.