Abstract :
The proteolytic, lipolytic changes and the volatile profile of Xinotyri goat’s cheese (an artisanal
variety produced in the mountains of Naxos, a Greek island of the Aegean Sea) were
studied during ripening. The cheese underwent very limited proteolysis; generally the WSN
%TN and TCA-SN %TN contents remained stable, while the PTA-SN %TN content increased
a little. Both - and s1-caseins were slightly degraded until the age of 22 days and then
remained stable. Free fatty acids (FFAs) content increased considerably during ripening and
the most abundant FFAs were oleic, palmitic, myristic, stearic and capric acid. A total of 114
volatile compounds were detected. The most abundant group isolated at day 90 were alcohols
followed by acids, ketones and esters, comprised 31.91%; 25.22%; 16.38%; and 15.54%
of total compounds, respectively. Ethanol, acetic acid and hexanoic acid ethyl ester were at
the highest level at all stages of ripening.
