Physicochemistry, microbiology, fatty acids composition and volatile profile of traditional Söğle tulum (goat’s skin bag) cheese

Abstract Söğle cheese is a type of traditional tulum (goat’s skin bag) cheese produced from goat’s milk or a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk in Küçük Söğle and Büyük Söğle villages, Antalya, Turkey. This is the first study that aimed to investigate the physicochemistry, microbiology, fatty acids composition and volatile profile of traditional Söğle cheeses ripened in goat’s skins for three months in wells. The pH and titratable acidity values, total solids, fat, protein and salt contents of the Söğle cheese samples ranged from 4.9 to 5.5, from 1.4 to 2.6%, from 46.5 to 55.0%, from 2.0 to 4.5%, from 34.9 and 42.2% and from 4.1 to 8.2%, respectively. The highest proportion of fatty acids in all cheese samples was palmitic acid (C16:0). The lactobacillus, lactococcus, total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and yeast and mold counts in the cheese samples were found to be between 7.1 and 8.5 log cfu/g, 7.8 and 8.7 log cfu/g, 7.6 and 8.5 log cfu/g and 1.0 and 4.8 log cfu/g, respectively. Fifty-three volatile components were identified in the cheese samples including 13 esters, 7 ketones, 5 acids, 2 aldehydes, 5 alcohols, 12 terpenes, and 9 miscellaneous compounds. Ketones and terpenes were the predominant volatile compounds.