Characterization of Fiore Sardo cheese manufactured with the addition of autochthonous cultures

• Published in: Journal of dairy research 2007-08, Vol.74 (3), p.255-261
• Main Authors: Pisano, M Barbara, Elisabetta Fadda, M, Deplano, Maura, Corda, Arianna, Casula, Maddalena, Cosentino, Sofia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal productions; Animals; autochthonous cultures; Bacteria; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Cheese - analysis; Cheese - microbiology; cheese ripening; cheese starters; cheesemaking; coliform bacteria; Dairy products; ewe milk; Fermentation; Fiore Sardo; Fiore Sardo cheese; Flora; food analysis; food composition; Food Handling; Food industries; Food Microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Italian cheeses; Italy; lactic acid bacteria; mesophilic bacteria; Milk; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; Raw ewes' milk cheese; sensory properties; sheep cheese; Terrestrial animal productions; traditional technology; Vertebrates
• ISSN: 0022-0299; 1469-7629
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022029907002464

This work evaluated the effect of adjunct autochthonous cultures on the chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of Fiore Sardo cheese during ripening. A total of twelve batches of cheeses were manufactured according to the technical Disciplinary of Fiore Sardo cheese, with and without different combinations of autochthonous strains isolated from the native microflora of artisanal Fiore Sardo. There were no significant differences in the cheese compositional parameters between experimental and control cheeses, but the addition of cultures led to a statistically significant decrease in pH values in experimental cheeses. The evolution of total mesophilic bacteria, total coliforms and lactic acid bacteria were significantly influenced by the addition of autochthonous cultures in most of the experimental cheeses. As for sensory characteristics, all the experimental cheeses reported significantly higher scores especially for shape, texture, interior openings, taste and aftertaste. This study demonstrated the beneficial effect of the addition of selected autochthonous cultures in accelerating the disappearance of undesirable flora and improving the typical sensory characteristics of the cheese, and confirmed the importance of ewes' milk as a source of technologically interesting strains that could be used to ensure a higher quality of artisanal cheese productions.