Chemical, physical, and sensorial characteristics of "Terrincho" ewe cheese: changes during ripening and intravarietal comparison.
The objectives of this study were to monitor the changes in chemical [moisture, acidity, pH, and water activity (a(w))] and physical (color and texture) parameters of "Terrincho" ewe cheese during 60 d of ripening, and to determine the correlations between the changes in instrumental texture and color parameters and the ripening time of the product. Intravarietal comparison of Terrincho ewe cheese from 5 different dairy plants was performed by evaluation of mechanical parameters from texture profile analysis (TPA) and color parameters in terms of CIELAB color space (L*, a*, and b*). In addition to mechanical and color tests, composition analyses and sensory tests were performed. The results were evaluated with statistical methods (single valued and multivariate analysis). During the first 20 d of ripening, an increase in hardness, fracturability, gumminess, chewiness, and yellowness occurred. Simultaneously, adhesiveness, resilience, L* (inside cheese, "i" and external "e"), and cohesiveness decreased. After 20 d of ripening hardness, fracturability, gumminess, and chewiness decreased and cohesiveness increased. The ripening time of Terrincho cheeses can be estimated with 6 variables: L* (external, e), L* (i), b* (inside cheese, i), hardness, a* (i), chewiness, and a constant. The estimation error was 4.2 d. Evaluation of composition, pH, texture profile analyses, color, and related sensory characteristics of Terrincho cheeses from 5 different dairy plants (with 30 d of ripening) revealed correlations between these parameters.
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REQUIMTE, Serviço de Bromatologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, 4050-047 Porto, Portugal.
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D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D003116:Color; D005260:Female; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods; D012677:Sensation; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors