A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry untargeted metabolomics approach to discriminate Fiore Sardo cheese produced from raw or thermized ovine milk.

Thermization is a sub-pasteurization heat treatment of cheese milk (at 57-68°C for 15-30 s) aimed to reduce the number of undesirable microbial contaminants with reduced heat damage to the indigenous milk enzymes. In this work, the effects of milk thermization on the compositional parameters, proteolysis indices, free fatty acid levels, and low molecular weight metabolite profiles of ovine cheese were studied. Cheese samples at different ripening stages and produced in 2 different periods of the year were analyzed.

Ionic mixed interactions in macromolecules.

Purely ionic interactions in natural and synthetic macromolecules involve the mutual interaction of fixed charges and their interaction with mobile ions. Such charge-dependent interactions lead to well-documented effects, including chain expansion of polyelectrolytes, globularization of polyampholytes, distributions of mobile ions according to charge screening, or ion condensation models. A variety of structural features, functions, and applications of these systems is amplified by the superimposition of charge-independent effects associated with the occurrence of less polar or hydrophobic groups, special salts, surfactants, or complementary protein assemblies.