Abstract
The use of small ruminant milk for smoked cheese production makes it possible to incorporate valuable nutrients into the diet, especially as the consumption of unprocessed sheep or goat's milk is low compared to that from cows. Smoking of food not only prolongs its shelf-life but also improves its flavour. Taking the fact that many consumers do not accept some organoleptic properties of milk from small ruminants into account, the aim of the study was to assess and compare the organoleptic and nutritional properties of traditionally smoked cheeses made from goat, sheep and cow's milk. The analysed cheeses differed in terms of dry matter content and its components such as protein and fat. Their acidity was comparable, except for the sample made of raw goat's milk, which was characterised by a relatively high pH value (6.12 ± 0.06). The highest content of CLA (2.30 ± 0.04%), as well as the highest share of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, was determined in the cheese made from sheep's milk. Moreover, the content of butyric and caproic free fatty acids in cheeses made from goat's milk was found to be several times higher than in the other analysed cheeses. The organoleptic assessment did not reveal any significant differences between the cheeses produced at small, private farms and in industrial conditions, or between different types of cheese, regardless of the type of milk from which they were produced.