Abstract Paipa cheese is the unique Colombian ripened cheese produced from raw milk that has a protected designation of origin (PDO); nonetheless, to date, the dairy product lacks a defined sensory profile, since no study has been previously performed. The aim of this study was to approach the definition of the sensory attributes of the Paipa cheeses that are produced within the PDO region in order to establish the organoleptic aspects of the PDO regulation. A trained panel of five members used the multidimensional approach as a descriptive sensory analysis to establish the sensory profile of Paipa cheese; such analysis was complemented with the method used for PDO cheeses were three cheese producers, two government delegates, one gastronomy expert and two Paipa cheese researchers participated in the descriptive sensory analysis. A microbiological assessment (mesophilic aerobic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, total and fecal coliforms, coagulase-positive Staphylococci, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes) of cheese samples was carried out prior to sensory analysis to guarantee the safety of the samples. The descriptive sensory analysis was performed with 17 cheese samples that represented 77% of Paipa cheese produced in the PDO region. 82 sensory descriptors were identified and 47 were finally established (seven descriptors for appearance, 15 for odor, 15 for taste and 10 for texture) for describing the sensory profile of Paipa cheese. Due to the presence of pathogenic bacteria, the texture and taste profiles of Paipa cheese were based only on three samples. Sensory profiles of cheese samples were highly heterogeneous and it may be a consequence of the variations among raw milk used and/or manufacturing practices of cheese producers. Therefore, in order to find the sensory identity of Paipa cheese and guarantee quality and safety, cheese production and raw milk characteristics must be defined and regulated among milk and Paipa cheese producers.

Resumo O queijo Paipa é o único queijo curado colombiano com denominação de origem protegida (DOP) e é feito com leite cru; No entanto, até o momento, o produto não apresenta um perfil sensorial definido, já que nenhum estudo foi feito até o momento. O objetivo deste estudo foi abordar a definição dos atributos sensoriais dos queijos Paipa produzidos na região do DOP, a fim de estabelecer os aspectos organolépticos da regulação DOP. Um painel treinado de cinco membros utilizou o teste de análise sensorial descritiva por abordagem multidimensional para estabelecer o perfil sensorial do queijo Paipa; esta análise foi complementada com o método utilizado para queijos DOP, no qual participaram também três produtores de queijo, dois delegados do governo, um especialista em gastronomia e dois pesquisadores do queijo Paipa. A avaliação microbiológica (bactérias aeróbicas mesofílicas, bactérias do ácido láctico, coliformes totais e fecais, estafilococos coagulase positiva, Salmonella spp. Listeria monocytogenes) das amostras de queijo foi feita antes da análise sensorial a fim de garantir a segurança das amostras a serem testadas. A análise sensorial descritiva foi feita com 17 amostras de queijos que representaram 77% dos queijos Paipa produzidos na região DOP. 82 descritores sensoriais foram identificados e finalmente 47 foram estabelecidos (sete descritores para aparência, 15 para odor, 15 para sabor e 10 para textura) para descrever o perfil sensorial do queijo Paipa. Devido à presença de bactérias patogênicas, os perfis de textura e sabor do queijo Paipa estiveram baseados em apenas três amostras. Os perfis sensoriais das amostras de queijo foram altamente heterogêneos e isso pode ser uma consequência da grande variação nas características do leite cru e/ou nas práticas de elaboração dos produtores de queijo. Portanto, para encontrar a identidade sensorial do queijo Paipa e garantir sua qualidade e segurança sanitária, a produção de queijo e as características do leite cru devem ser definidas e regulamentadas entre os produtores de leite e queijo Paipa.

Abstract Due to the increasing consumption of ghee in the Western countries, a complete characterization of buffalo and cow ghee was performed to complement and update the available literature. Ghee is a lipophilic dairy product with 98.9% lipids, 0.3% water and less than 0.9% nonfat solids. Fatty acids are the major lipid fraction and represent 85.1% and 83.65% for buffalo and cow ghee, respectively. More than 52% of the fatty acids were saturated, and palmitic (24-28.8%), stearic (9.4-14%) and myristic (8.5-10%) acids were predominant. Monounsaturated fatty acids were approximately 23.8% and the major component was oleic acid. Polyunsaturated fatty acid content was 2.45% (buffalo) and 4% (cow). The vaccenic acid (2.18%) and the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA cis-9, trans-11) with a concentration of 0.77% in buffalo and 1% in cow ghee, were the main ruminant trans fatty acids. The physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of cow and buffalo ghee complied with the literature and national regulation. Finally, the sensory profile of buffalo and cow ghee was defined with a predominantly lactic odor, followed by cooked and fatty notes. The taste was characterized as fatty, lactic, sweet and cooked; and the texture was described as fatty with fatty mouthfeel, lumpy and greasy notes.