Biochemical changes during ripening of cheeses in an animal skin

Abstract

A few types of cheeses ripened in an animal skin sack are produced around the world: Sir iz mišine (Croatia), Sir iz mijeha (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro), Tulum and Divle Cave (Turkey), Bouhezza (Algeria) and Darfiyeh (Lebanon). Pronounced and piquant taste, flavour and aroma of these cheeses originate from intensive lipolysis and proteolysis as a result of specific anaerobic conditions inside the skin sack, autochthonous microorganisms from raw milk and skin, as well as their manufacturing procedure. The specific and complex biochemical changes that occur during ripening of cheeses in animal skin sacks have become of great interest to researchers, and numerous studies have been conducted over the last decade. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review the specificities of proteolytic and lipolytic changes that occur during ripening of cheese in the animal skin sack, which cause the characteristic volatile compounds profile. Moreover, the manufacturing procedures and physico-chemical properties of cheeses is shown due to their relationship with biochemical reactions during cheese ripening. As biochemical changes during ripening directly influence sensory attributes of cheese, which determine consumer preference, this review could provide practical data for cheesemakers to prevent negative consequences of overly intensive biochemical changes during cheese ripening, and so improve the quality of this kind of cheeses.

Characterization of a traditional ripened cheese, Kurdish Kope: Lipolysis, lactate metabolism, the release profile of volatile compounds, and correlations with sensory characteristics

“…After 187 days, the final average amounts of the short‐chain FFAs (SCFFAs), the medium‐chain FFAs (MCFFAs), and long‐chain FFAs were 8.09%, 14.29%, and 19.60%, respectively. Similar results have been previously reported by Kalit et al., 2020 for Tulum cheese. Lipolysis reactions were progressed very intensely up to day 67 and declined and continued within a very mild slope until the end of the ripening.…”

“…A few research have previously reported on Kope cheese and its properties including the histamine content (Ehsani et al., 2012), effects of pasteurization and packaging on its physicochemical and sensory properties (Sarbazi et al., 2015), and the influence of ripening time on the structural, rheological, and physicochemical properties of Kope cheese (Hasanzadeh et al., 2018). Cheese ripening is a complex and dynamic biochemical process including primarily lipolysis, proteolysis, lactate metabolism, followed by secondary events, leading to the development of volatile compounds (VCs) and gross composition, which makes an important contribution to flavor perception and texture properties of cheese (Kalit et al., 2020). No scientific information is available about the specific types of free fatty acids (FFAs), organic acids (OAs), and VCs produced during the ripening of Kope cheese.…”

“…No scientific information is available about the specific types of free fatty acids (FFAs), organic acids (OAs), and VCs produced during the ripening of Kope cheese. Various cheese production processes lead to different types of VCs, gross composition, textural attributes, and flavor/odor compounds (Bertuzzi et al., 2018; Tekin & Güler, 2019; Kalit et al., 2020), which are correlated with VCs and gross composition constituents formed during the cheese ripening period (Cosentino et al., 2021; Suzzi et al., 2015). Therefore, the current study intends to characterize and develop a standardized procedure for producing this type of traditional cheese by determining the appropriate duration time for the ripening process and describing the main physicochemical features that contribute to its unique flavor and texture.…”

Volatile profile, textural and sensory properties of Diyarbakır Örgü cheese produced from sheep and cow milk of different ripening time

“…During the ripening period, a series of microbiological and biochemical changes occur, including glycolysis, lipolysis, and proteolysis. Typical properties of cheese such as taste, aroma, and texture are formed by the effect of enzymes obtained from milk, rennet, starter and non-starter bacteria used during that period (van Mastrigt et al, 2018; Chen et al, 2020; Tudor Kalit et al, 2020).…”

Sensory Profile of Semi-Hard Goat Cheese Preserved in Oil for Different Lengths of Time

“…The ripening conditions such as temperature and relative humidity in the ripening chamber and the ripening media (e.g., oil, animal skin, plastic or stone containers, brine, or spices) influence the biochemical processes of glycolysis, proteolysis, and lipolysis, which can consequently lead to the development of specific sensory characteristics of the cheese [15][16][17][18][19]. Thus, cheeses ripened in animal skin (e.g., Sir iz mišine, Tulum, Darfiyeh, and Bouhezza) have a unique and piquant smell, taste, and aroma, which is due to intense lipolysis and proteolysis during ripening conditions in the skin [19][20][21], i.e., lower air permeability of the skin compared to the cheese rind [8], but higher compared to plastic or stone containers, which serve as an alternative ripening medium [22].…”