Dairy Industry Association of Australia

In the present study, 26 traditional cheeses manufactured with raw or pasteurised milk in the Marche region (central Italy) were characterised on the basis of gross composition, bacterial
ecology and volatile compound profile. The cheeses under study were made from goats’ milk (caprino), ewes’ milk (pecorino) or a mixture of cows’ and ewes’ milk (caciotta). Data obtained were subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA ) and Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) in order to assess the relationships between cheesemaking techniques and physico-chemical, microbiological and aromatic traits. A clear separation between the three types of cheese was seen, whereas no distinction between raw and pasteurised milk cheeses was highlighted. Eight selected cheeses were subjected to a consumer test to evaluate the acceptance of potential purchasers.