Microbiological and Physicochemical Characteristics of Van Herby Cheese, a Traditional Turkish Dairy Product

Abstract

Herby cheese, made from sheep and/or cow milk and mixture of some herbs namely wild species of garlic, thyme, Ferula sp., mint, etc., is a traditional Turkish cheese. In this research, 15 different herby cheeses were examined for microbiological, physicochemical and organoleptic properties. The mean log counts/g of the herby cheese for total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophs, lipolytic bacteria, enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, proteolytic organisms, Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci and yeasts and moulds were analysed. The means of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts obtained from MRS and M17 agar plates were 5.17+/-2.07 and 4.72+/-2.01, respectively. Isolates of LAB were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, L. casei ssp. casei, L. brevis, Pediococcus pentosaceus, P. acidilactic, Enterococcus faecalis and E faecium. L. plantarum, L. casei and P. pentosaceus were the most frequently found. The means of total solid (TS)%, pH value, acidity%, fat%, fat/TS%, total nitrogen (TN)%, TN/TS%, protein%, water-soluble nitrogen (WSN)%, WSN/TS%, WSN/TN%, NaCl%, NaCl/TS%, ripening index% and herbs% were determined, and the alpha(s)-casein, beta-casein and other casein levels were analyzed.