Seasonal variations in the free fatty acid composition of Manchego cheese and changes during ripening

This paper examines the evolution of the free fatty acid concentration in Manchego cheese during ripening (up to 150 days) and in two different cheesemaking seasons (autumn and winter). Factorial analysis of the principal components showed that short-chain fatty acids were the variables that best correlated (81% of the total variance explained) with the samples when distributed according to ripening time. These fatty acids likewise differentiated autumn and winter samples.