Influence of the Breed of Sheep on the Characteristics of Zamorano Cheese

Abstract

This work aimed to study the effects of using ewe’s milk from Churra, Assaf, or both breeds on the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of Zamorano cheese at the end of ripening. Zamorano cheese is a hard variety with protected designation of origin (PDO) produced in the province of Zamora (Spain) with raw or pasteurized ewe’s milk. Five batches of Zamorano cheese were produced with pasteurized ewe’s milk. One batch was elaborated using milk from the Churra breed, the other using milk from the Assaf breed, and the remaining three employed milk mixtures of Churra and Assaf breeds in the proportions 75:25, 50:50 and, 25:75, respectively. Cheeses made with a higher proportion of Churra milk showed a predominance of hydrophilic peptides, while hydrophobic peptides predominated in cheeses with a greater percentage of milk from the Assaf breed. The largest content of most free amino acids was found in cheeses produced with the highest percentage of Churra milk. These cheeses presented the highest values for fat acidity index and free fatty acids content and showed greater elasticity and adhesiveness, as well as lower granularity and hardness. In the sensory evaluation, aftertaste and persistence were higher in these cheeses, being scored with the best overall values.

Relationship between the Dynamics of Gross Composition, Free Fatty Acids and Biogenic Amines, and Microbial Shifts during the Ripening of Raw Ewe Milk-Derived Idiazabal Cheese

“…Nevertheless, 4-methyl-C8, iC4 and iC6 were identified for the first time in Idiazabal cheese, as Amores et al [ 88 ] have reported for iC5, C7, C11, C13 and C15. There are differences in the lipolysis process during ripening or in the predominant FFAs compared to other raw ewe milk-derived cheeses [ 89 , 90 , 91 ]. For instance, Esmaeilzadeh et al [ 89 ] have reported a higher abundance of long-chain FFAs than short- or medium-chain FFAs during ripening of Kope cheese.…”

A Metabolomics Study by 1H HRMAS NMR: From Sheep Milk to a Pressed-Curd Cheese: A Proof of Concept

“…The composition of different types of cheese (Manchego, Roncal, Idiazábal, Cheddar, Dubliner, Zamorano) has been already studied by analytical techniques such as highperformance liquid (HPLC), gas (GC) or ionic chromatography, and by mass spectrometry [18][19][20]. Most of these analyses were focused on a determined group of compounds and required a sample pre-treatment, sometimes long and tedious extraction procedures, not avoiding the risk of sample alteration.…”