Differentiation and grouping of chemical characteristics of Mahon cheese

 Cluster analysis of cases (CAC) and variables (CAV) and stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) were applied to estimate the usefulness of various chemical determinations for the characterization and differentiation of the seven types of Mahon cheese, four industrially manufactured (fresh, half-ripened, ripened and old-ripened cheeses) and three traditionally manufactured (half-ripened, ripened and old-ripened cheeses). CAV showed that, on the one hand, moisture, non-proteic nitrogen (NPN) and water activity measurements, and on the other ash, NaCl and fat measurements are very similar variables. Using SDA, it was possible to differentiate between industrially and traditionally manufactured cheeses by measuring NaCl and fat contents, and also between the four stages of ripening suggested by the "Mahon" cheese Appellation of Origin according to the moisture and NPN variables. Using classification functions obtained by SDA, 94.1% of cheese samples were correctly classified into traditional or industrial groups, and 89.7% of samples into fresh, half-ripened, ripened and old-ripened groups (jackknife validation). Received: 15 July 1997 / Revised version: 2 February 1998