Influence of starter cultures on the proteolysis of Teleme cheese made from different types of milk

Abstract

Teleme cheese was made from ovine, caprine and bovine milk with thermophilic (Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus), mesophilic (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris) and mixed thermophilic-mesophilic (1:1) cultures. Nine lots of cheese each time (five repetitions) were made in order to study the proteolysis of cheeses during ripening and storage up to 6 months. All cheeses showed similar profiles of proteolysis. However, the rate of proteolysis was different. The thermophilic and the mesophilic cultures resulted in cheeses with the highest and the lowest degree of proteolysis, respectively. Proteolysis was of a descending order in cheeses made from sheep's, goat's and cow's milk when estimated on the basis of nitrogenous fractions (total nitrogen, water soluble nitrogen, nitrogen soluble in 5% phosphotungstic acid and nitrogen soluble in 12% trichloroacetic acid), whereas it was highest in cow's milk cheeses and lowest in goat's milk cheeses when estimated on the basis of electrophoresis and RP-HPLC. Multivariate analysis of the data revealed that cheeses could be more correctly clustered by the type of milk or culture than by the stage of ripening. © INRA, EDP Sciences, 2006.