Effect of adding cardamom, thyme and clove essential oils on some properties of white soft cheese made from goats’ milk

This study aimed to improve the properties of white soft cheese made from goats' milk by adding spice essential oils at concentrations of 75 & 90 ppm cardamom, 50 & 75 ppm thyme and 40 & 60 ppm clove to goats' milk. All resultant cheeses were compared aganist that made from buffalos' milk (control I) and goats' milk (control II). The quality of resultant cheeses was evaluated for their chemical composition, microbiological and organoleptic properrties during storage at 6±loC for 45 days. The results revealed that additives at two concentrations of essential oils insignificantly affected percentages of moisture, salt! moisture and fat / dry matter. Moisture % significantly decreased (P:'S0.05) while fat and protein % increased during storage period at 6±loC. Value 0 irratable acidity (TA), water soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen (WSN/TN), non-protein nitrogen/total nitrogen N ) d total volatile fatty acids (TVF A) for all treated cheeses were significantly lower than control II during . cl' g ,eriod. Increasing the proporrtion of spice essential oils had a marked effect on the same properties. T TN/TN, NPN/TN and TVFA in cheese samples increased, while the pH values decreased continuously durin toge period (P:'S0.05). The hysteresis area, expressed as ∫ αdpH values, of control II was lower than goats’ cheese samples treated by cardamom, thyme and clove essential oils during the pickling period. The rate of decrease in the hysteresis area of control II was higher than that of control I. Statistically, there were significant differences due to treatments, pickling period and the interaction between treatments and pickling period (P≤0.05). Addition of spice essential oils decreased clearly counts of different tested microbial groups (total viable count, psychrophilic bacteria, yeasts& moulds and coliforms) throughout storage period as compared to control II and control I. Spice essential oils added improved the flavour and quality of white soft cheese made from goats’ milk. Therefore, white soft cheese could be successfully made from goats’ milk with adding cardamom, thyme or clove essential oils, especially clove or cardamom at concentrations of 40 and 75ppm, respectively and with storage at 6±1ºC for 45 days.