THE EFFECT OF SEASONS ON THE PROTEIN CONTENT IN EWE´S AND COW´S LUMP CHEESE

Abstract

Cheese is one of the most consumable dairy products in the world. There is a substantial number of cheeses known. However, the production of each type is somewhat specific. Cheese provides significant nutritional benefits in terms of replenishing nutrients, such as protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, and more. In this written piece, the focus is on ewe´s and cow´s lump cheese, which is produced from ewe´s and cow´s milk. The ewes and cows provide milk as a nutritious raw material for traditional cheese products, in selected cases marked with the Traditional Specialty logo of the European Union. The physicochemical and microbiological composition of ewe's milk is dependent, as in cows and other mammals, on factors such as breed, stage of lactation, feeding, management, and milking systems. The study aimed to establish whether the seasonal factor can significantly affect the composition of traditional ewe´s and cow´s lump cheese. For this purpose, during the year of production, 46 samples of ewe´s lump cheese and 46 samples of cow´s lump cheese were subject to analysis according to ISO standards aimed at determining the total content of proteins, casein, and γ3- and γ2-casein using isoelectric focusing. The mean values of the content of individual samples in ewe´s lump cheese were as follows: protein 18.33 g/100 g, casein 17.88 g/100 g, γ3-casein 0.71. mg/100 g, and γ2-casein 0.82 mg/100 g. The mean values of the content of individual samples in cow´s lump cheese were as follows: protein 19.05 g/100 g, casein 18.35 g/100 g, γ3-casein 0.72 mg/100 g, and γ2-casein 0.83 mg/100 g. Considering all the assessed aspects of such a product, traditional ewe's lump cheese and cow´s lump cheese represent relatively stable products in terms of content throughout the year.