Application of multivariate analysis to sensory characterization of ewes' milk cheese

Idiazabal cheese is an uncooked pressed cheese, with Appellation of Origin, elaborated with raw ewes' milk. The seasonal characteristic of the Idiazabal cheese, together with other factors such as physical, chemical and microbiological features of the milk, as well as climatic and geographic conditions, can have an influence upon the sensory properties of cheese. The wide acceptance of ewes' milk cheese in Spain and the fact that no sensory characterization studies have been developed for the Idiazabal cheese led to the realization of the present work, that aims at characterization of the cheese from a sensory standpoint and at describing its degree of homogeneity taking into account factors such as the month and cheese factory of elaboration. After carrying out the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis, which included 22 descriptors, and through a jury of specialists, factor analysis enabled us to classify Idiazabal cheese as a slightly pungent cheese in odor, flavor and aftertaste, with its own characteristic flavor and a firm, moderately grainy texture. Nonetheless, a significant degree of heterogeneity was observed among the samples.