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 properties
during storage at 6±1ºC 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≤0.05) while fat and protein % increased during storage period at 6±1ºC. Values of titratable acidity (TA), water
soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen (WSN/TN), non protein nitrogen/total nitrogen (NPN/TN) and total volatile fatty acids
(TVFA) for all treated cheeses were significantly lower than control II during pickling period. Increasing the proportion
of spice essential oils had a marked effect on the same properties. The TA, WSN/TN, NPN/TN and TVFA in
cheese samples increased, while the pH values decreased continuously during storage period (P≤0.05).
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
75 ppm, respectively and with storage at 6±1ºC for 45 days.