Influence of types of milk and culture on the manufacturing practices, composition and sensory characteristics of Teleme cheese during ripening

Abstract Teleme cheese was made from ovine, caprine and bovine milk with thermophilic, mesophilic, and mixed thermophilic–mesophilic cultures. Nine lots of cheese each time were made in order to study the physico-chemical and sensory changes of cheeses throughout ripening and storage up to 6 months. The rate of pH decrease was the fastest in cheeses made with the mesophilic culture and the slowest in cheeses made with the thermophilic culture, regardless of the kind of milk used. Moisture was higher in cheeses made from cows’ milk than in cheeses made from the other two kinds of milk. The highest fat content and yield were in cheeses made from ewes’ milk not being affected by starter culture used, the highest protein content was in cheeses made from goats’ milk whereas salt content was not affected by either the kind of milk or starter culture used. The use of mesophilic or mixed cultures resulted in cheeses of higher flavour scores than those of cheeses made with thermophilic culture. It is concluded that all three kinds of milk may be used in making Teleme cheese preferably by using a mesophilic or a mixed thermophilic and mesophilic starter culture.