VOLATILE PROFILE OF PIACENTINU ENNESE CHEESE PRODUCED WITH RAW AND PASTEURIZED MILK

摘要

Piacentinu is one of the many traditional cheeses of Sicily. Produced in the province of Enna, it is a pressed ewes' milk cheese with peppercorns and saffron that gives it a typical spicy/floral flavors and a characteristic yellow color. The objective of this study was to determine whether changing the traditional conditions under which Piacentinu cheeses are made affects their volatile organic compounds (VOC). Cheeses were obtained from seven different farms, three of which used raw milk, no starters, and artisanal lamb and/or kid rennets (R). Four other farms used pasteurized milk, commercial LAB starter cultures and commercial lamb rennets (P+S). Cheeses were ripened from 2 to 6 months. VOC fractions were extracted onto SPME fibers using a retronasal aroma simulator (RAS). Gas chromatography/olfactometry (GC/O) and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were used to identify VOC. R cheeses contained a more diverse group of VOC, especially among terpenes which points to the importance of pasture in promoting flavor development of traditional cheeses. Differences among other groups of volatiles were likely due to the unique microbial communities and enzymes found in R cheeses that differed from those found in P+S cheeses. R cheeses also had significantly stronger aroma intensities in most categories except fruity. Principal components analysis on VOC and sensory data separated R and P+S cheeses by their VOC "fingerprints."