The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the specificities (milk characteristics, production process, ripening biochemistry, composition, and sensory properties) and novelties of the ...world-famous traditional cheeses of the Eastern Mediterranean (EM). The EM area is remarkably heterogeneous (11 countries—Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia) in terms of cheese production, but there are some common features that can be associated with EM which are connected to the difficult geoclimaticconditions (hilly terrain and hot summers). Cheesemakers resort to some preservation methods, such as high salt content (in white-brined cheeses), high total solids content (in hard cheeses), the use of hot water in the treatment of the curd (in pasta filata cheeses), the addition of some local herbs with antimicrobial properties, and the use of animal skin sacks for cheese ripening. Due to the high proportion of whey as a by-product, whey is traditionally used in EM for the production of whey cheeses. Preserving the production of traditional EM cheeses is critical to maintaining their cultural significance and meeting the demand of consumers interested in the provenance, craftsmanship, and nutritional value of these unique products.
The aim of this study was to investigate the sensory profile of semi-hard goat cheese preserved in an oil mixture (extra virgin olive oil from Mljet and refined sunflower oil; 50:50). Five batches of ...cheese were made, and each batch was divided into three groups: (i) ripening in air (group 1—control group), (ii) ripening in oil after 10 days of ripening in air (group 2), (iii) ripening in oil after 20 days of ripening in air (group 3). After 60 days of ripening, quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was performed by six trained experts and texture was analyzed with a texture analyzer. The correlations between the descriptive sensory scores of texture and the texture analyzer results were significantly related. Compared to the control group, the oil-ripened cheeses had significantly (p < 0.05) higher oily odor and taste intensity and greater elasticity and stickiness determined by fingers, but thinner rind, lower cross-sectional color intensity, and lower crumbliness in the mouth. Ripening in oil improved rind thickness, taste, texture, and cross-sectional properties. Group 3 cheeses were preferred in terms of appearance, cross-section, odor, and taste, suggesting that prolonged ripening in air before immersion in oil positively affected the sensory characteristics of the cheese.
The excess of protein and lack of energy in the diet of goats cause an excess of nitrogen compounds in the rumen with the release of ammonia and the increase of urea concentration in blood and milk, ...which adversely affects: production and processing properties of milk, environmental pollution and reproductive performance. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of short-term (30 days) changes of meals in the view of different content of crude protein (CP) to: daily milk yield (DMY), the concentration of urea (U) and the ratio between fat and protein (F/P) in milk. Preliminary research was conducted on 72 Alpine goats, grouped into three groups (I, II, III), with 24 randomly selected goats. From kidding to weaning, goats were fed with the same meal (11 % CP), which was followed by period of short-term feeding with different amounts of CP in the meal (I -14 % low proportion, II - 16 % optimal proportion, III - 18 % high proportion). The increase of CP in portion for 4 %, 4 % and 6 % resulted in an increase of the DMY for: 1.29 L, 1.48 L and 1.91 L, and also the concentration of urea for 16, 26 and 30 mg/100 mL. The ratio of F/P decreased in I, II, and III group from 1.55 to 1.24; from 1.53 to 1.18 and from 1.39 to 1.12. Optimizing nutrition in terms of a more rational protein intake as the most expensive components of a meal, balance of the energy and protein, as well as defining the limit value of urea concentration in milk are a prerequisite for intensive production of goat’s milk.
In addition to the production of albumin cheese, biogas and whey powder, whey has also been used as a raw material for the production of alcoholic beverages. The aim of this research was to ...investigate the potential of using Istrian albumin cheese whey in the production of whey distillate. Three batches of Istrian albumin cheese were produced in a small-scale cheese plant. The remaining whey after the production of albumin cheese was fermented using Kluyveromyces marxianus subsp. marxianus for 5 days and then distilled. In the whey samples before and after fermentation, the content of total solids, protein, milk fat and lactose was determined. The ethanol content and the composition of volatile compounds in the distillate was determined. The content of all components of the chemical composition of whey, except for the content of fat, decreased during fermentation. In the whey distillate with an alcohol content of 35%, the following compounds were determined: acetaldehyde, methanol, n-propanol, i-butanol, n-butanol, 3-methyl-1-ol, 2-methylbutan-1-ol and ethyl-lactate. The distillate obtained confirmed the potential of using whey for the production of spirits. However, further research is needed due to the potential presence of the harmful effects of certain volatile compounds on human health.
Glutamate is one of the most abundant amino acids in nature, accounting for up to 8-10% of most dietary proteins and peptides and most tissues. Only the free form of glutamate has taste-enhancing ...properties as a unique umami taste, and when glutamate is bound to proteins, it is tasteless with no umami taste. Fermentation, ageing, ripening and heat cooking are typical natural processes of protein hydrolysis during which free glutamate is released. The food industry most commonly uses it in the form of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in amounts between 0.1 and 0.8% as a flavour enhancer. Since the beginning of the 21st century, its use as a flavour enhancer in meat and meat products with reduced salt content has become more widespread. The sodium content of MSG (12.28 g/100 g) is one-third that of salt (39.34 g/100 g), making MSG a promising salt alternative in sodium reduction strategies. There is no one-sided and conclusive scientific information reporting adverse human health effects of MSG in the general population, and it is still considered safe. However, in the wake of "clean label" initiatives, many consumers would prefer not to have additives or flavour enhancers such as glutamates in their food. This can be overcome by the known synergistic effect of natural 5'-ribonucleotides and glutamates found in seaweed, cheese, fish sauce, yeast extract, soy sauce, fermented soybeans and tomatoes, as they enhance the overall perception of umami flavour.
The generally accepted concept of the necessity of producing safe foods has indirectly influenced the decision to replace chemical preservatives with natural ones. Bacteriocins, and in particular ...those synthesized by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the food industry, are considered to be their effective replacement. In controlling the growth of microbial pathogens and/or the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria in food, with the permitted nisin and pediocin, a significant antibacterial effect has been shown for most LAB bacteriocins. However, the use of purified bacteriocins as bio preservatives in cheese production is limited. To inhibit the growth of bacteria L. monocytogenes, S. aureus and C. tyrobutyricum in cheese, bacteriocinogenic LAB strains contained in primary, adjunct or protective culture are much more acceptable in cheese production.
Milk urea concentration (MU) has been extensively studied and is often used to evaluate energy and protein balance in dairy cattle diets, but not to this extent in dairy goat diets. The aim of this ...study was to determine the relationship between MU concentration and crude protein content (CP) in the diet of Alpine goats in order to reduce excessive nitrogen excretion from the organism. For this purpose, 72 goats were randomly divided into three equal groups (24 animals) and fed a concentrate mix containing 14%, 16%, and 18% CP, respectively. The chemical composition of milk samples was determined and the ratio of milk fat to protein was calculated. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the MIXED procedure (SAS V8 software package). Increasing CP from 14% to 16% in the diet increased daily milk yield by 0.4 kg (p<0.001), and MU concentration from 35.01 to 41.24 mg/100 mL (p<0.001). Based on the calculated inflection point of daily milk yield and protein content in milk, the range of MU concentration from 40.00 to 45.00 mg/100 mL can be considered optimal and is a good indicator of a balanced diet for goats.
U većini zemalja svijeta kobilje mlijeko oduvijek je bilo cijenjeno zbog svojih ljekovitih svojstava pa se danas sve više koristi u prehrambenoj, kozmetičkoj i farmaceutskoj industriji, te kao ...zamjena humanom mlijeku u prehrani novorođenčadi. Procjenjuje se da oko 30 milijuna ljudi u svijetu konzumira kobilje mlijeko. Posljednjih godina kobilje mlijeko postaje i u Hrvatskoj sve interesantniji proizvod zbog svog specifičnog sastava i svojstava. Kobilje mlijeko danas je predmet brojnih istraživanja i rasprava zbog optimalnog omjera kazeina i proteina sirutke te visoke probavljivosti, što ga čini prihvatljivim za prehranu dojenčadi. Cilj rada je prikazati kemijski sastav te najvažnija svojstva kobiljeg mlijeka kao i mogućnosti njegove primjene. Zbog visokog udjela proteina mliječnog seruma, kobilje mlijeko je bogat izvor esencijalnih aminokiselina i pogodno je za prehranu ljudi. Lipidi kobiljeg mlijeka sadrže manje triacilglicerola (oko 80 %) za razliku od humanog i kravljeg mlijeka (oko 98 % u oba mlijeka), dok je veći udio fosfolipida (oko 5 %) i slobodnih masnih kiselina (oko 9 %) u usporedbi s kravljim i humanim mlijekom. Kobilje mlijeko sadrži visoku koncentraciju višestruko nezasićenih masnih kiselina, nizak sadržaj kolesterola, visok udio laktoze te vitamina A, B i C.
The optimal concentration of urea in cow's milk is known and is often used to assess the balance of energy and protein in diets. While in goat (and sheep) milk it is not controled nor defined. Main ...determinants of urea formation in milk are the amount of crude protein intake and the ratio betwwen protein and energy proportion in diet. Goat diet with excessive amount of crude protein and energy unbalanced diet cause the excess of nitrogenous substances in rumen along with release of ammonia and rise in concentration of urea in blood and milk, which adversely affects the production, milk coagulation propreties, environmental pollution and reproductive capabilities of goats. However, besides diet, there are other factors that influence milk urea concentration: breed, stage of lactation, parity, season, body mass, litter size, production and chemical composition of milk. Numerous studies conducted on cow milk included the influence of sources of variability listed above, while there are only few studies available for goat milk due to its less economic importance, seasonal polyesterity and different way of breeding and keeping goats. The aim of this paper is to comparatively and critically combine the previous research results on the importance of determining the milk urea concentration as well as on individual sources of variability of urea concentration in goat milk.
Proizvodnja i konzumacija kozjeg mlijeka u svijetu je u stalnom porastu kao i broj koza, koji se povećava u odnosu na ostale vrste mliječnih životinja. To se posebno odnosi na zemlje u kojima je ...kozje mlijeko odraz tradicionalne proizvodnje. Sastojci kozjeg mlijeka svojim osobinama (bolja probavljivost, hipoalergenost, veći puferni kapacitet, viša pH vrijednost) povoljno djeluju na zdravlje ljudi. Prednost kozjeg mlijeka u odnosu na kravlje je i u višem sadržaju selena, koji je neophodan za aktivnost enzima glutation peroksidaze, značajnog u prevenciji karcinoma i krvožilnih bolesti. Kozje mlijeko u usporedbi s kravljim sadrži više masnih kiselina koje povoljno utječu na zdravlje ljudi, posebice na krvožilni sustav. Bjelančevine kozjeg mlijeka su probavljivije od bjelančevina kravljeg, a efikasnija je i apsorpcija aminokiselina. Osjetljivost ljudi na α-laktalbumin i β-laktoglobulin kravljeg mlijeka zanemariva je nakon zamjene kravljeg mlijeka s kozjim. Cilj ovog rada je navesti prednosti kozjeg mlijeka u odnosu na kravlje te istaknuti njegove terapijske i nutritivne vrijednosti.