Effects of fat on the properties of halloumi cheese

Halloumi cheese was produced from 11 bovine milks with fat contents of 1.61-4.04%, giving a range of 32-53% fat in dry matter (FDM) in the cheeses. Starter culture and/or microparticulated whey protein (Simplesse((R)) 100(E)) was also added to selected batches of milk. Hardness decreased with increasing FDM, with increase in moisture and with lower pH. On sensory evaluation, there was an increase in preference score with FDM (R-2 = 0.8). Inclusion of microparticulated whey protein may have had a fat mimetic effect, as preference scores otherwise decreased with increasing protein levels (R-2 = 0.75)

Donkey milk

[No abstract available

Bioactive properties of fermented donkey milk, before and after in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion

Indigenous strains of lactic acid bacteria previously isolated from raw donkey milk samples were used to ferment donkey milk. Each sample was subjected to an in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion (SGID) and analysis of the digesta by HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap XL was performed in order to obtain a comprehensive peptide profile of fermented donkey milk. Functional properties such as ACE-inhibitory, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the resulting fermented donkey milks, as well as characterization of the bioactive peptides produced by an in vitro SGID, were assayed. All bioactivities were found to be high in fermented milk and a further significant increase was observed after SGID. The Enterococcus faecium DM33 fermented milk exhibited the strongest antioxidant and the highest antimicrobial activities. The highest ACE-inhibitory activity was observed in milk fermented with Lactobacillus casei DM214. These findings will contribute to the development of a new functional dairy drink with anti-hypertensive, antimicrobial and/or antioxidant activities

Application of bacteriocin-producing Enterococcus faecium isolated from donkey milk, in the bio-control of Listeria monocytogenes in fresh whey cheese

A total of 79 bacterial strains, previously isolated from donkey milk, were screened for their antimicrobial activity against several spoilage and foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Amongst them, 3 strains belonging to Enterococcus faecium displayed antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. Mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that all enterococci used in this study produced peptides with masses consistent with those for enterocins A and B. The cell-free supernatants of the identified bacteriocin-producing enterococci were equally active over a wide range of pH and heat treatments making them excellent candidates for potential applications in bio-preservation. Bacteriocins produced by these strains were tested for their capability to control post-processing contamination and growth of L. monocytogenes during refrigerated storage of artificially contaminated fresh whey cheese. One strain was considered bactericidal while the other two were classified as bacteriostatic

Investigation of donkey milk bacterial diversity by 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing on a Cyprus donkey farm

The authors acknowledge the technical support and welcoming environment from Golden Donkeys Farm, Cyprus, for the milk samples collection. Author contributions: conceptualization, D.T. and P.P.; methodology, E.K., D.A., and M.A.; formal analysis, E.K., M.A., and A.K.; investigation, E.K., D.A. and M.A.; resources, D.T., P.P., and P.M.; data curation, E.K.; writing—original draft preparation, E.K. and M.A.; writing—review and editing, E.K., D.T., and P.P.; supervision, D.T. and P.P.; project administration, D.T.; funding acquisition, D.T. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding: this research was funded by INTERREG Greece–Cyprus 2014-2020 Program [Project AGRO-ID, which is co-funded by the European Union (ERDF) and National Resources of Greece and Cyprus] and project DELIVER by the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) of Cyprus. Andreas Kamilaris has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 739578 complemented by the government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination and Development. The authors declare no conflict of interest.The interest in milk originating from donkeys is growing worldwide due to its claimed functional and nutritional properties, especially for sensitive population groups, such as infants with cow milk protein allergy. The current study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of donkey milk produced in a donkey farm in Cyprus using culture-based and high-throughput sequencing techniques. The culture-based microbiological analysis showed very low microbial counts, whereas important food-borne pathogens were not detected in any sample. In addition, high-throughput sequencing was applied to characterize the bacterial communities of donkey milk samples. Donkey milk mostly composed of gram-negative Proteobacteria, including Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Mesorhizobium, and Acinetobacter; lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus and Streptococcus; the endospores forming Clostridium; and the environmental genera Flavobacterium and Ralstonia, detected in lower relative abundances. The results of the study support existing findings that donkey milk contains mostly gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, it raises questions regarding the contribution of (1) antimicrobial agents (i.e., lysozyme, peptides) in shaping the microbial communities and (2) bacterial microbiota to the functional value of donkey milk.Horizon 2020 Framework Programme Interreg European Commission European Regional Development Fun

White-brined cheeses

This chapter discusses various white-brined cheeses, including Batzos PDO, Turkish Beyaz Peynir, Feta, Halitzia, Halloumi, Mihalic, Sjenica, and Urfa. Turkish Beyaz Peynir is a rindless, white-coloured, close-textured variety with a salty acid taste; it may have a slight piquant flavour, especially when made from sheep's milk. A number of volatile compounds are produced by defined or wild-type lactococcal bacteria used in the manufacture of Turkish Beyaz Peynir. The geographical region of Sjenica cheese production is in the Sjenicko-Pesterska plateau, which is located in the southwestern part of Serbia and represents the biggest plateau in the Balkan, which includes the municipalities Sjenica and Tutin. Sjenica cheeses are home-made cheeses, manufactured at farms or produced in small dairy craft plants. Urfa cheese variety is mainly produced from raw sheep's milk (mainly milk of the Awassi sheep breed) or an appropriate mixture of sheep's and cow's milks. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved