De la ferme à la table : étude des caractéristiques physico- chimiques et microbiologiques d’un fromage artisanal à identité locale ''El Gafs"

Abstract

Traditional cheese has become a staple food due to its high nutritional value and unique sensory characteristics. El Gafs cheese, made from raw milk (cow and goat raw milk) and coated with chamomile, rose and esparto grass, has never been the subject of previous studies. Hence the aim of this study is to evaluate both its physicochemical such as pH (pH meter), acidity (titration), dry matter (drying), lipids (Gerber acid-butyrometric method), minerals (calcination) and proteins (Kjeldahl method), microbiological quality (total mesophilic aerobic flora, lactic acid bacteria, lactococci, coliforms, yeasts and moulds, as well as testing for pathogenic bacteria) and sensory parameters (appearance, colour, odour, texture, firmness, taste, lactic flavour and overall acceptability through tasting). The results showed differences between the four cheese varieties in most of the criteria studied; Physicochemical analyses revealed significant differences among the El Gafs cheese varieties, with variations in pH (3.8–5.9), acidity (8–16 °D), dry matter (≈50–61%), proteins (18–39%), lipids (6–14%), and minerals (≈3–4%), influenced by the type of milk and the plant coating. The microbiological criteria revealed the presence of abundant lactic flora, which is characteristic of traditional cheeses made from raw milk, and they also showed the absence of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., sulfite-reducing anaerobic bacteria (SRB) and Listeria monocytogenes. Sensory evaluation also revealed greater overall acceptance of the cow’s milk cheese coated with chamomile. The results suggest that the type of milk and the nature of the plant coating influence the characteristics of the cheeses studied. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the nutritional and sanitary quality of this traditional product.