Influence of ovine milk in mixture with bovine milk on the quality of reduced fat Muenster-type cheese

Reduced fat Muenster-type cheeses were manufactured from a mixture of bovine skim milk and ovine whole milk and from bovine milk only (control). Cheeses were evaluated at 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 d of age for numbers and type of microflora, casein hydrolysis, and amounts of free fatty acids. alpha(s1)-Casein degradation was similar for both cheeses during the aging period, but beta-casein degradation proceeded at a faster rate in the control cheese. The total amounts of free fatty acids remained constant throughout the ripening time; however, the cheeses produced with bovine/ovine milk yielded a significantly larger amount of caprylic (C8:0) and capric (C10:0) acids compared with the bovine milk cheeses. Lactobacilli increased during the aging period, while the populations of lactic acid bacteria, yeast and molds, and lipolytic organisms did not increase. Both cheeses had comparable cheese flavor intensity, but the bovine/ovine milk cheese had a greater occurrence of off flavors. The bovine/ovine milk cheeses were firmer than the bovine cheeses throughout the aging period.