Effect of package type on the composition and volatile compounds of Feta cheese

Feta cheese was manufactured by using artisanal rennet from kids and lambs abomasa and allowed to ripen and store either in tin vessels or wooden barrels. In this study the effect of package type on composition, proteolysis, lipolysis and volatile compounds of cheeses was investigated. Feta cheese ripened and stored in wooden barrels had lower moisture contents than Feta cheese stored in tins. Also Feta in barrels had higher fat and lower salt contents than Feta cheeses stored in tins at 60 days of storage, while at 180 days the fat and salt contents were almost the same for all cheeses. Proteolysis and lipolysis (total free fatty acids) were similar in the cheeses and were not affected by the package type. The most abundant volatile compounds in all cheeses were the free fatty acids and especially acetic, butanoic, hexanoic, octanoic and decanoic acids. Other major compounds were ethanol and 3-methylbutanol. Feta cheese ripened and stored in wooden barrels had higher levels of acetone, butan-2-one, ethyl esters especially ethylacetate, ethylbutanoate, ethylhexanoate, ethyllactate, ethyloctanoate and ethyldecanoate, phenylethylacetate, 3-methylbutylacetate, 2-phenylethylacetate, as well as butan-1-ol, heptan-2-ol, phenylethanol and decanoic acid than Feta cheese ripened in tin vessels, during storage.