Influence of Water-Soluble Nitrogen and Free Amino Groups on Sensory Attributes of Smoked Mozzarella Cheese

The smoking of cheeses contributes to significant changes in their color, aroma, and also content of free amino groups. The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in sensory attributes of smoked and unsmoked mozzarella cheese during storage for four weeks. It was found that inner layers of both cheeses were equally light despite large differences in their outer layers (ΔL*: 26.33 for smoked and ΔL*: 5.33 for unsmoked). Color of the edge layer in smoked cheese was more saturated than in unsmoked cheese (ΔC* = 17.47). The edge layer in smoked cheese after storage became more saturated (ΔC* = 5.12). Desirability of smoked cheese was 1.5-fold greater than that of unsmoked cheese. Smoking contributed to the disappearance of cooked aroma (by 32%), whey, and cowy/phenolic aromas and intensified the perceptibility of acid taste (8.5 times). Changes were higher in smoked mozzarella because of its higher proteolysis susceptibility.