Comparison of lactose free and traditional mozzarella cheese during shelf-life by aroma compounds and sensory analysis

Aroma compounds and sensory features of lactose free (LFM) and traditional (TM) Mozzarella cheese have been investigated during their labeled shelf-life. Acetoin and 2-heptanone characterized both types of cheese at the production time. During the shelf-life, a statistically significant increase in the amount of the volatiles coming from amino acid and fatty acid metabolism occurred in the LFM samples after 8 days of storage and, to a lesser extent, in TM cheese after 13 days of storage. As regard sensory analysis, milk odor and milk flavor descriptors characterized TM and LFM in the early stage of their shelf-life; bitter and acid taste and yoghurt odor descriptors characterized LFM after 8 days and TM after 13 days. The differences between the two cheese types can be attributed to the proteolytic activity of the lactase enzyme. As a result, the volatile aroma profile and the sensory quality should be taken into account for a proper shelf-life definition of Mozzarella cheese and a shorter shelf-life should be suggested for LFM than TM cheese.