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. 2018 Mar 13;7(3):37. doi: 10.3390/foods7030037

Table 4.

Summary of descriptive sensory analysis studies bovine cheese.

Cheese and Age Analysis Diet Result Reference
Raw milk Cantal-Type
6, 13 and 23 weeks
12 Trained assessors
69 Attributes
Pasture (minimal concentrate addition) and hay in winter More elastic (p < 0.001) [42]
Pasture (temporary meadows), with preserved forage and haylage in winter with concentrates More salty taste (p < 0.05)
More bitter taste (p < 0.05)
More pungent taste (p < 0.05)
More odour intensity (p < 0.001)
More butter odour (p < 0.001)
Raw milk Cantal
3 months
10 Trained assessors
43 Attributes
Mountain grassland hay + concentrate
(soybean meal and barley)
Curd Appreciation (p < 0.01)
Curd Flavour (p < 0.01)
Melting texture (p < 0.001)
Mellow texture (p < 0.01)
Butter colour (p < 0.05)
Grass odour (p < 0.05)
Citrus fruit aroma (p < 0.05)
Persistent flavour (p < 0.05)
[85]
Ryegrass silage (with formic acid) + concentrate (soybean meal and barley) Alcohol aroma (p < 0.001)
Chemical aroma (p < 0.05)
Raw milk Cantal
5 months
12 Trained assessors
38 Attributes
Maize silage + low dose (0.1 μL/L) essential oil Highest butter odour (p < 0.001)
Highest fresh cream odour (p < 0.001)
Highest cooked cheese odour (p < 0.001)
Highest vanilla odour (p < 0.001)
Lowest mint odour (p < 0.001)
Highest lactic acid aroma (p < 0.001)
Highest garlic aroma (p < 0.05)
Highest stubble aroma (p < 0.01)
Highest meat aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest thyme/oregano aroma (p < 0.001)
Highest salt taste (p < 0.01)
Lowest astringent taste (p < 0.001)
Lowest persistent taste (p < 0.001)
[86]
Maize silage + high dose (1.0 μL/L) essential oil Highest odour intensity (p < 0.001)
Lowest butter odour (p < 0.001)
Lowest fresh cream odour (p < 0.001)
Lowest acidified cream odour (p < 0.001)
Lowest cooked cheese odour (p < 0.001)
Lowest vanilla odour (p < 0.001)
Lowest brioche odour (p < 0.001)
Lowest meat odour (p < 0.01)
Highest mint odour (p < 0.001)
Highest aroma intensity (p < 0.001)
Lowest butter aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest cooked cheese aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest lactic acid aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest garlic aroma (p < 0.05)
Lowest grilled onion aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest stubble aroma (p < 0.01)
Lowest meat aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest cheese mites’ aroma (p < 0.001)
Highest mint/chlorophyll aroma (p < 0.001)
Highest thyme/oregano aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest salt taste (p < 0.01)
Highest astringent taste (p < 0.001)
Highest persistent taste (p < 0.001)
Maize silage control Highest acidified cream odour (p < 0001)
Highest cooked cheese odour (p < 0.001)
Highest brioche odour (p < 0.001)
Highest meat odour (p < 0.01)
Lowest mint odour (p < 0.001)
Highest aroma intensity (p < 0.001)
Highest butter aroma (p < 0.001)
Highest cooked cheese aroma (p < 0.001)
Highest garlic aroma (p < 0.05)
Highest grilled onion aroma (p < 0.001)
Highest cheese mites’ aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest mint/chlorophyll aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest thyme/oregano aroma (p < 0.001)
Lowest persistent taste (p < 0.001)
Raw Milk St-Nectaire
8 weeks
10 Trained assessors
15 attributes
Silage (mountain grass including cocksfoot) + concentrate (soybean meal and barley) Curd colour (more yellow) (p < 0.01) [48]
Hay (mountain grass including cocksfoot) + concentrate (soybean meal and barley) More openings (p < 0.01)
Raw Milk St-Nectaire
8 weeks
10 Trained assessors
18 Attributes
Cocksfoot hay + concentrate (cereal and soybean) More opening regularity (p < 0.05) [49]
Rye-grass rich hay + concentrate (cereal and soybean) No Significant Differences
Native mountain grassland hay + concentrate (cereal and soybean) No Significant Differences
Raw Milk St-Nectaire
7 weeks
10 Trained assessors
33 Attributes
Ryegrass silage (with formic acid) + concentrate (soybean meal and barley) Gritty texture (p < 0.05) [85]
Mountain grassland hay + concentrate (soybean meal and barley) No Significant Differences
Raw Milk Abondance
5 months
13 Trained assessors
58 Attributes
South facing pasture + concentrate (rolled cereal mix) (15–21 June) Less persistent taste (p < 0.05)
More firm texture (p < 0.001)
More grainy microstructure (p < 0.01)
More smooth microstructure (p < 0.001)
[71]
North facing pasture + concentrate (rolled cereal mix) (22–29 June) Less firm (p < 0.001)
More adhesive texture (p < 0.05)
Thinner microstructure (p < 0.01)
Less grainy microstructure (p < 0.01)
Higher salty taste (p < 0.001)
More bitter taste (p < 0.01)
More persistent taste (p < 0.05)
South facing pasture + concentrate (rolled cereal mix) (30 June–6 July) More firm texture (p < 0.001)
More grainy microstructure (p < 0.01)
Less persistent taste (p < 0.05)
Raw Milk Abondance
24 weeks
14 Trained assessors
9 Attributes
Mountain pasture Higher fruity aroma (p < 0.05)
Higher hazelnut aroma (p < 0.01)
Higher boiled milk odour (p < 0.01)
Higher fresh cream odour (p < 0.05)
Higher bread crust aroma (p < 0.05)
Higher animal aroma (p < 0.001)
[54]
Hay Higher fruity aroma (p < 0.05)
Higher pungent taste (p < 0.01)
Valley pastures Higher bread crust aroma (p < 0.05)
Higher pungent taste (p < 0.001)
Higher propionic acid aroma (p < 0.05)
Pasteurized Milk Cheddar
40 days
Temperature 21 °C
7 Trained assessors
16 Attributes
Alfalfa hay + corn silage + concentrate (corn, grain, cottonseed, soybean meal, sugar beet pulp, yeast mix, molasses and fat) No Significant Differences [51]
Pasture No Significant Differences
Pasture + grain mix (soybeans, corn, sugar beet pulp and molasses) No Significant Differences
Pasteurized Milk Cheddar
180 and 270 days
Temperature 21 °C
25 Untrained assessors
20 Attributes
Pasture (rye-grass) at 180 days ripening Highest colour (p < 0.002)
Lowest sweet taste (p < 0.002)
[52]
Pasture + white clover at 180 days ripening Lowest crumbly texture (p < 0.026)
Concentrate (grass silage, maize silage, maize, beet pulp, soybean meal, salt, rapeseed meal and megalac) at 180 days ripening Lowest colour (p < 0.001)
Highest fruity estery flavour (p < 0.05)
Pasture (rye-grass) at 270 days ripening Highest colour (p < 0.001)
Highest salty taste (p < 0.001)
Pasture (rye-grass) + white clover at 270 days ripening Lowest sweet taste (p < 0.013)
Highest colour (p < 0.001)
Concentrate (grass silage, maize silage, maize, beet pulp, soybean meal, salt, rapeseed meal and megalac) at 270 days ripening Lowest colour (p < 0.001)
Highest sour taste (p < 0.007)
Raw Milk Montasio
60 days
Temperature 21 °C
10 Trained assessors
26 Attributes
Nutrient rich pasture (poaceae, cyperaceae, ranunculaceae and fabaceae) Higher colour intensity (p < 0.04)
Higher granule texture (p < 0.03)
[70]
Nutrient poor pasture (poaceae, cyperaceae, asteraceae fabaceae and rosaceae) Higher cow odour (p < 0.04)
Higher cow flavour (p < 0.01)
Higher adhesive texture (p < 0.03)
Higher creaminess texture (p < 0.03)
Nutrient rich and poor pasture + 3 kg/head of concentrate (maize, barley, beet pulp, soy, wheat) No Significant Difference
Nutrient rich and poor pasture + 1.5 kg of concentrate (maize, barley, beet pulp, soy, wheat) No Significant Difference
Raw Milk Montasio
12 months
Temperature 21 °C
12 Trained assessors
28 Attributes
Nutrient rich pasture (poaceae, cyperaceae, ranunculaceae and fabaceae) Higher colour intensity (p < 0.01)
Greater sour odour (p < 0.05)
More humid appearance (p < 0.01)
Greater pungent odour (p < 0.01)
Greater bitterness (p < 0.05)
More granular texture (p < 0.01)
[80]
Nutrient poor pasture (poaceae, cyperaceae, asteraceae fabaceae and rosaceae) Greater eye distribution (p < 0.05)
More rough appearance (p < 0.01)
Greater cow odour (p < 0.05)
Nutrient rich and poor pasture + 3 kg/head of concentrate (maize, barley, beet pulp, soy, wheat) No Significant Differences
Nutrient rich and poor pasture + 1.5 kg of concentrate (maize, barley, beet pulp, soy, wheat) No Significant Difference
Raw Milk Ragusano
4 months
Temperature 21 °C
11 Trained assessors
26 Attributes
Native pasture + concentrate (rye-grass hay, corn meal, corn silage, cereal grains, oil seeds, sugar by-products, minerals, etossichin) More yellow colour (p < 0.05)
More floral odour (p < 0.05)
More green/herbaceous (p < 0.05)
[99]
Concentrate (rye-grass hay, corn meal, corn silage, cereal grains, oil seeds, sugar by-products, minerals, etossichin) More oily consistency (p < 0.05)
More fracture consistency (p < 0.05)
Raw Milk Nostrano di Primiero
60 days
Temperature 16 °C
8 Trained assessors
35 Attributes
Pasture + low level of concentrates (maize, sugar beet pulp, wheat bran, brewer’s yeast, dried alfalfa, barley, soybean flakes, sunflower meal, minerals and vitamins) 1.6 kg dry matter/day More irregularity shaped eyes (p < 0.05)
More adhesiveness (p < 0.05)
[88]
Pasture + high level of concentrates (maize, sugar beet pulp, wheat bran, brewer’s yeast, dried alfalfa, barley, soybean flakes, sunflower meal, minerals and vitamins) 4.8 kg dry matter/day Greater bitterness (p < 0.05)
Greater solubility (p < 0.05)
Greater firmness (p < 0.05)
Greater granules (p < 0.05)
More adhesive (p < 0.05)
Raw Milk Caciocavallo Palermitano
1 month
Temperature 20 °C
12 Trained assessors
14 Attributes
Pasture + hay supplements (Cinisara cow breed) More smooth texture (p < 0.001)
More sweet taste (p < 0.01)
More acid taste (p < 0.001)
[100]
Hay + concentrate + little pasture (Brown cow breed) More bitterness taste (p < 0.001)
More salty taste (p < 0.05)
Raw Milk Caciocavallo
90 days
12 Trained assessors
17 Attributes
Pasture (grasses, legumes and other species) Highest yellow appearance (p < 0.0001)
Highest spicy taste (p < 0.002)
Highest seasoned taste (p < 0.003)
Highest friability texture (p < 0.0001)
Highest grainy texture (p < 0.0002)
[101]
Grains (wheat, oats, barley)
and hay (clover and meadow)
Highest uniform appearance (p < 0.0001)
Highest butter odour/flavour (p < 0.05)
Highest smoked odour/flavour (p < 0.002)
Highest bitter taste (p < 0.003)