An effort to improve the organoleptic properties of a soft cheese from rustic goat milk

An investigation was carried out to reduce the unpleasant flavour of a soft cheese obtained from milk of rustic non-selected goats. To this purpose, g oat milk fat was transesterified with unsaturated fatty acids (C-18:1 and C -18:2) using an immobilised lipase and was then reincorporated into the par tly skimmed milk. Two curdlings (one test and one control with unmodified m ilk) were then performed in the laboratory and the effect of fat reincorpor ation was evaluated by comparing the main constitutive parameters character ising the obtained cheeses, with particular reference to the lipid fraction and to the organoleptic properties. The findings demonstrated a significan t decrease in the total amount of short and medium chain fatty acids (C-4:0 -C-14:0) and also a significant increase in the total content of C-18:1 plu s C-18:2 both in triglycerides and in free fatty acids of test cheese. The data obtained, as well as the results of a panel test, indicated that the o rganoleptic properties of test cheese were improved.