Lipolysis and volatile compounds of Galotyri-type cheese made using different procedures

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different manufacturing processes of Galotyri-type cheese on its free fatty acid (FFA) profile and volatile compounds. Three cheesemaking methods were evaluated, namely production of cheese using salted ewes' milk, starter culture and rennet (SM+R), and starter culture with or without rennet and salting the curd after draining (R+SC or SC, respectively). Lauric, palmitic and acetic were the most abundant FFA in all cheeses during storage. The SC+R cheese had significantly (P < 0.05) lower total FFA levels than the other cheeses at 30 days of storage. The chromatographic method used for the determination of volatile compounds allowed the identification of 11 aldehydes, 9 alcohols and five ketones. The major volatile compound found in all cheeses was ethanol. Ethanol had significantly higher concentration in R+SC cheese than in the other cheeses during storage. Acetaldehyde was the most abundant aldehyde in SC and in R+SC cheeses at 30 days of storage and acetone was the major ketone found in all cheeses during storage.