STABILITA' DI UN FORMAGGIO FRESCO A PASTA FILATA. VALUTAZIONI ANALITICHE TRADIZIONALI E CON UNO SMART NOSE SYSTEM KEEPING QUALITY OF A FRESH STRINGY CHESE. APPLICATION OF TRADITIONAL METHODS AND ANALYSIS WITH A SMART NOSE SYS- TEM

SUMMARY The study was applied to samples of a fresh stringy cheese from bovine, ewe and goat milk obtained from a small dairy in Siciliy. Cheese samples, vacuum packaged and without package, were stored at 5 ±1°C and evaluated from 0 to 15 days. Keeping quality was studied using evaluated with a SMart Nose System (SN) and by a Solid Phase Micro Extraction.Gas Chromatography (SPME/GCMS) procedure. The obtained data allowed to give a shelf life of 10 days for packaged cheese; a 3 days period was considered for non packaged samples. The study of volatiles by SPME-GC/MS gave a useful information about samples profile; nevertheless the results were not related to cheese durability. The evaluation of the odour profile by SN allowed an objective and rapid measurement of volatiles that can be easily related to the shelf life for routine quality control of cheese.