# The Volatile Signature: Tracking Ripening Dynamics to Ensure Goat Cheese Quality

## TL;DR

This study tracks the ripening of goat cheese by analyzing volatile compounds to identify markers for optimal maturation.

## Contribution

The study identifies 2-butanone and 2-butanol as potential volatile markers for advanced ripening stages in goat cheese.

## Key findings

- Sixty-eight volatile organic compounds were identified during goat cheese ripening.
- The total volatile content increased up to 120 days and then slightly decreased.
- 2-butanone and 2-butanol are promising markers for advanced ripening stages.

## Abstract

Cheese ripening involves a series of biochemical and microbiological transformations that directly affect the texture, aroma, flavor, and quality of the final product. This study aimed to characterize the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during the ripening of goat cheese to find suitable molecular markers for monitoring the maturation process. Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC–MS) was applied to samples collected at different ripening times (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 days). Overall, sixty-eight different VOCs were identified, including alcohols, esters, ketones, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, terpenes, sulfur compounds, and others. The total volatile content progressively increased up to 120 days and slightly decreased thereafter. This dynamic evolution reflected the interplay of proteolysis, lipolysis, and microbial metabolism occurring during the ripening process. Among the compounds, 2-butanone and 2-butanol appeared as promising volatile markers of the advanced ripening stages. These results offer new insights into goat cheese flavor development and support the design of a sensing approach for a first warning of the end of the cheese maturation process.