Evolution of free fatty acid profile during ripening in cheeses manufactured from bovine, ovine and caprine milks with extracts of Cynara cardunculus as coagulant

 Changes in the concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA) in bovine, ovine and caprine milk cheeses manufactured with a plant rennet (flowers of Cynara cardunculus) were studied throughout a 68-day ripening period. The long-chain saturated (C16 : 0 and C18 : 0) and unsaturated (C18 : 1, C18 : 2, and C18 : 3) FFA were the most abundant at all stages of ripening. The overall concentration of FFA in fresh cheese was 3598, 3538 and 3868 mg/kg cheese for bovine, ovine and caprine milk cheeses, respectively; these values increased to 5047, 6517 and 5257 mg/kg cheese, respectively, by 68 days, of which 1171, 1734 and 1791 mg/kg cheese, respectively, were accounted for by C4 : 0 – C12 : 0. The FFA that showed the highest fractional increase by 68 days of ripening in bovine milk cheese were C4 : 0, C6 : 0, C8 : 0, C12 : 0, C18 : 1 and C18 : 2; in ovine milk cheese they were C4 : 0, C6 : 0, C8 : 0, C10 : 0, C14 : 0, and C18 : 1; and in caprine milk cheese they were C4 : 0, C8 : 0, C10 : 0, C14 : 0 and C18 : 1. Received: 2 August 1996