Effect of some herb essential oils on lipolysis in white cheese

The influence of some herb essential oils on the lipolysis of white cheese was examined The essential oils of Sirmo (wild Allium sp), thyme (wild Thymus sp) and mint (wild Mentha sp) were added individually or in combinations to cheeses. The cheese samples were ripened for 90 days at 5C Lipolysis rate increased from the beginning to the sixtieth day of ripening, then decreased up to 90 days in cheese samples. The highest lipolysis rate was observed in the control sample while the lowest was in thyme and sirmo-thyme added samples. Differences between cheese samples and ripening periods were found to be statistically significant (P<0.01) in terms of fatty acids production rates. Sirmo and mint essential oils did not affect the lipolysis of white cheese. The sensory acceptability of sirmo and mint essential oils added cheeses was superior to that of other samples.