Review: Technological and organoleptic issues pertaining to cheeses with denomination of origin manufactured in the Iberian Peninsula from ovine and caprine milks

A few European countries have created Appelations d'Origine Protegee (AOP) in order to support legal protection and hence promote enforcement of high- quality standards of selected food products. This paper comprehensively rev iews and updates fundamental and applied aspects encompassing technological and organoleptic characteristics of AOP traditional cheeses manufactured i n the Iberian Peninsula, from ovine and/or caprine milks. Those cheeses fro m Portugal and Spain can be divided into four distinctive groups, based on milk source and rennet type: (i) Azeitao, Castelo Branco, Evora, Nisa, Serp a, Serra da Estrela and La Serena cheeses, manufactured with raw ovine milk and coagulated via plant rennet; (ii) Terrincho, Idiazabal, Manchego, Ronc al and Zamorano cheeses, elaborated with raw ovine milk and coagulated via animal rennet; (iii) Cabra Transmontano and Majorero cheeses, manufactured with raw caprine milk and coagulated via animal rennet; and (iv) Amarelo da Beira Baixa, Picante da Beira Baixa and Rabacal cheeses, manufactured with mixtures of raw ovine and caprine milks and coagulated via animal rennet. Considerable differences between Portuguese and Spanish AOP cheeses exist; the former are, in general, characterized by softer consistencies and simil arities to one another in terms of manufacturing protocols (usually encompa ssing coagulation of plain raw milk followed by slow draining of the curd), whereas the latter are, in general, larger and firmer.