MICROBIAL QUALITY, VOLATILE COMPOUNDS PROFILE, TEXTURAL AND SOME CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF TRADITIONAL MENGEN CHEESE

In this research, it was aimed to determine chemical, biochemical, textural, microbiological properties and some volatile compounds of traditional Mengen cheese. As results of chemical and biochemical analyses in Mengen cheese samples, dry matter was average 51.4±5.34%, ash 3.57±0.73%, protein 24±3.29%, fat 19.05±4.99%, salt 2.19±0.85%, pH 5.72±0.44, acidity 0.36±0.21%, ripening index % 2.94±1.25, lipolysis value (ADV) 0.87±0.73 meqKOH/100g-fat were found. Microbiologic analyses showed that Mengen cheese samples had average TMAB count as 8.15±1.14 log CFU/g, LAB 7.19±1.42 log CFU/g, yeast-mould 4.97±1.15 log CFU/g, coliform 6.09±1.36 log CFU/g, E. coli 3.79±1.87 log CFU/g, S. aureus 3.96±1.6 log CFU/g were found, Listeria, Salmonella, coagulase positive S. aureus, E. coli 0157 pathogen bacteria were not detected. It was determined that the textural properties were found in a wide range and 130 volatile compounds were obtained in the samples.