Descriptive sensory profile of cow and buffalo milk Cheddar cheese prepared using indigenous cultures

The objective of the study was to compare the sensory profile of Cheddar cheese prepared from cow and buffalo milk using indigenous and commercial cultures. Commercially available and locally isolated, indigenous starter cultures were used to prepare cow and buffalo milk Cheddar cheese. The cheese was ripened at 4 and 12°C and analyzed for descriptive sensory profile by a panel of 10 assessors after 60 and 120 d of ripening. On evaluation, the mean scores for odor, flavor, and texture attributes obtained for buffalo milk cheese were significantly higher than those obtained for cow milk cheese. For most of the traits, cheese samples prepared from indigenous cultures and ripened at higher temperature received higher descriptive scores compared with those of commercial cultures and ripened at lower degrees. Milk sources highly significantly affected the “creamy” and “sour” traits of odor; the “creamy,” “smoky,” and “soapy” flavors; and all the texture attributes except “maturity.” Starter cultures considerably influenced the production of “acidic,” “bitter,” “sweet,” and “sour” characteristics. The use of elevated ripening temperature showed noticeable effect on all the characteristics except the “creamy” odor and flavor. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis also showed that milk sources, starter cultures, and ripening temperatures significantly influenced the sensory characteristics.