Impact of changes in the fat phase on the peculiarities of the formation of quality indicators of semi-hard and hard cheeses

Cheesemaking is a complex process that involves  lactose metabolism, proteolysis and  lipolysis. The flavor bouquet  of ripening cheeses is formed  as a result of changes in all the  components of milk. The conditions of keeping and feeding  a ruminant, its type, breed,  as well as the  technological features of cheese production influence this  process. Milk fat  contributes to  the  formation of the  flavor  bouquet of cheese, which  undergoes separate changes in the  stage  of milk processing for cheese. We studied semi-hard cheeses — Dutch  and Vityaz and hard cheese — Italiko, made from the same raw milk using the microflora characteristic of these cheeses. The temperature  of the  second heating ranged from 39°C to 54°C, depending on the  type  of cheese. To assess  the  quality of cheeses, their physical and chemical composition and degree of maturity, organoleptic indicators and the content of volatile flavoring compounds, acid number, Reichert-Meissl number and  fatty acid composition of the  fatty phase of cheeses were determined. In comparative studies of cheeses, the features of the formation of their quality indicators, due to the composition and manufacturing technology, were revealed. They manifested themselves in the  flavor bouquet and texture of the  product, as well as in the  fatty acid composition of cheeses, confirming the importance of the fat phase in the quality formation of the studied cheeses during their production, ripening and storage. It has been  proven that even a slight  increase in the  acid number of fat during the  production of all cheeses contributes to the  further transformation of the  resulting free  fatty acids  into  volatile flavoring  compounds that take part  in the formation of the taste and aroma  of the finished product.

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