Sensory Profile and Consumers' Liking of Functional Ovine Cheese.

Antonella Santillo,Marzia Albenzio

doi:10.3390/foods4040665

Abstract

The present research was undertaken to evaluate the sensory profile and consumers’ liking of functional ovine cheese containing probiotic cultures. Ovine cheese was made from ewe’s milk by animals reared in extensive conditions; cheesemaking trials were performed by using rennet paste containing probiotic cells. Experimental cheeses were denoted: cheese manufactured using lamb rennet paste without probiotic (C), cheese manufactured using lamb rennet paste containing a mix of Bifidobacterium lactis and Bifidobacterium longum (BB), and cheese manufactured using lamb rennet paste containing Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA). Ovine cheese containing probiotic strains highlighted a more intense proteolysis and a greater level of short chain free fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid due to the metabolic activity of the adjunct microflora. The sensorial profile of ovine cheese showed lower humidity and gumminess in cheeses containing probiotics as a consequence of differences in the maturing process; furthermore, probiotic cheeses scored higher ratings for salty and pungent attributes. An interaction effect of probiotic, gender, and age of the consumers was detected in the perceived and the expected liking. The higher rate of expected liking in all experimental cheeses is attributed to the information given, regarding not only the presence of probiotic strains but also the farming conditions and cheesemaking technology.

Highlights

Today, food is not merely viewed as a vehicle for essential nutrients to ensure proper growth and development, but as a route to optimal wellness
phosphotungstic acid-soluble nitrogen (PASN)/Total nitrogen (TN) and free amino acids (FAA) showed the same behavior among experimental cheeses: the mentioned parameters were lower in control cheese, intermediate in Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) and higher in Bifidobacterium longum (BB) cheese
Proteolysis is the main process in cheese ripening; determining changes in the texture due to the breakdown of the protein network, and in flavor formation through the release of peptides, free amino acids, and catabolic products [25]

Summary

Introduction

Food is not merely viewed as a vehicle for essential nutrients to ensure proper growth and development, but as a route to optimal wellness Functional foods are those which contain some health-promoting components that go beyond the traditional nutrients; one way in which foods can be modified to become functional is by adding probiotics [1]. The potential of different typologies of ovine cheese, e.g., semi-hard cheese and pasta filata stretched curd as a functional food delivering different probiotic bacteria has been previously reported [5,6,7]. Those reports showed that probiotics yielded a complex outfit of proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes able to influence cheese microbiology and the maturing process. Probiotics in ovine cheese were involved in the production of molecules such as essential amino acids [8], bioactive peptides [9], and polyunsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) [10]

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Results

Conclusion