Abstract

The manufacture of traditional cheese varieties by mixing different proportions of cow and goat milk has become a common practice to obtain products with different appearance, texture and flavor. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of increasing the proportion of goat milk in the chemical, textural and sensory properties of Chanco-style cheese, a traditional variety from Chile and produced with pasteurized cow milk. A standardized cheese manufacture process was performed based on milk composition and differing in the proportions of cow and goat milk: 100% cow and 0% goat (100C), 67% cow and 33% goat (67C), 33% cow and 67% goat (33C), and 0% cow and 100% goat (0C). Similar composition, pH and melting were observed among treatments, but main differences were found in degradation of alpha(s1)-CN and peptide profile, levels of C6:0, C8:0, C10:0, C14:0 and C14:1 cis-9 fatty acids, fracture strain and whiteness index. Sensory analysis indicated that increasing proportions of goat milk led to cheeses with higher scores in whiteness and goat flavors. These results suggest that increasing proportions of goat milk in the manufacture of Chanco-style cheese could be a good alternative for consumers that are constantly searching for products with different properties.