Study of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Cheeses Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: Influence of Milk from Different Ruminant Species

Abstract

This study has examined the polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of 224 cheeses with variable percentages (0–100%) of milk from different species (cow, ewe’s, and goat) during 6 months of ripening. We analyzed the concentration of ω3 (Σ C20:5 + C22:6 + C18:3), ω6 (ΣC20:4 + C18:2), Σ isomers of the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), the total of polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 + ω6 + CLA), and the ω6/ω3 nutritional relationship of the cheeses. The importance of the animal species, the seasonality, the ripening time, and its influence on the composition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been studied. Concerning the species, sheep show a higher concentration of CLA levels and ω6. The seasonality affects above all the levels of CLA and ω3, while ripening only affects the CLA levels. The capacity of NIR technology to predict the concentration of PUFA in cheese by direct application to cheese slices was also assessed. The docosahexaenoic acid relationship (C22:6 ω-3) and the ω6/ω3 relationship presented the most accurate prediction equation (RSQ > 0.7).