Proteolysis in Teleme cheese made from ewes', goats' or a mixture of ewes' and goats' milk

Primary and secondary proteolysis of Teleme cheese made from ewes', goats' or mixture of ewes' and goats' milk were studied by Kjeldahl nitrogen fractionation, PAGE-electrophoresis, HPLC peptide profile analysis and HPLC free amino acid (FAA) determination. Teleme cheese made from goats' milk showed a slower hydrolysis (P<0.05) of alpha(s)-casein than Teleme cheeses made from ewes' milk or mixed milk, at all stages of ripening. Degradation of beta-casein was more extensive (P<0.05) in cheeses made from ewes' milk and mixed milk than in cheese made from goats' milk from 180 to 360 days of ripening. There was an increase in water soluble nitrogen during ripening, with significant differences (P<0.05) among the three cheeses. Trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen was lower (P<0.05) in cheese made from goats' milk than in cheeses made from other types of milks, at 20, 60, 180 and 360 d of aging. No differences (P>0.05) were found in phosphotungstic acid-soluble nitrogen, throughout ripening period in the three cheeses. No significant differences in the levels of FAA were found among the various cheeses made from ewes, goats' or mixture milk. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.