Some Volatile Plant Compounds in Halloumi Cheeses made from Ovine or Bovine Milk

The volatile flavour componds in commercial samples of fresh Halloumi cheese made from either bovine milk or a mixture of ovine and caprine milks were compared. Terpenes, such as α-pinene, β-pinene, copaene, thymol, α-caryophyllene, β-caryophyllene and δ-cadinene were all present in the ovine/caprine cheeses and, in some cases, at concentrations above their reported flavour threshold values. Only low levels of α-pinene and β-caryophyllene were found in the bovine samples, along with D -carvone and eucalyptol from mint added during manufacture. Analysis of some plants that dominated the feeds of the sheep/goats or cows that produced the original milk indicated that the terpenes are likely to have originated in the plants eaten by the animals. It was suggested that the presence of the terpenes may explain the preference of some consumers for the fresh ovine/caprine cheese.