Ricotta forte is a traditional whey cheese, obtained through natural fermentation of fresh ricotta, that is getting increasing attention by food traders. In view of possible initiatives for its valorization, the chemical and sensory characteristics were investigated. Samples were obtained from 14 different manufacturer, and were subjected to chemical, biochemical, volatile organic compound, and sensory analyses. All samples presented low pH with high moisture (62–66%) and fat content (57–60% on dry matter). From a biochemical point of view, the electrophoretic patterns evidenced that β-lactoglobulin was the main protein present at all sample ages. Only intermediate levels of proteolysis (20.69% ripening index) took place during aging, whereas the main biochemical event in this dairy product was lipolysis (2.10 mEq/g of acid degree value). Accordingly, free fatty acids dominated the volatile organic compound profile and strongly influenced the sensory characteristics with flavor described as rancid, pungent, acrid, and smelly feet: all associated with short-chain fatty acids such as acetic, propionic, butyric, and caproic. Finally, the sample age did not influence chemical composition, whereas it had significant effect on lipolysis and flavor intensity.

Ricotta forte是一种传统的乳清干酪，是通过新鲜乳清干酪的自然发酵获得的，受到了食品贸易商的越来越多的关注。考虑到其增值的可能措施，对化学和感官特性进行了研究。样品是从14个不同的制造商处获得的，并进行了化学，生化，挥发性有机化合物和感官分析。所有样品均具有低pH值，高水分（62-66％）和脂肪含量（干物质为57-60％）。从生化的角度来看，电泳图谱表明，β-乳球蛋白是所有样品年龄中存在的主要蛋白质。老化过程中仅发生中间水平的蛋白水解（成熟指数为20.69％），而该乳制品中的主要生化事件是脂解（酸度值为2.10 mEq / g）。因此，游离脂肪酸在挥发性有机化合物的特征中占主导地位，并强烈影响其感觉特性，其风味被描述为腐臭，辛辣，刺痛和臭脚：所有这些都与短链脂肪酸有关，例如乙酸，丙酸，丁酸和己酸。最后，样品的年龄不影响化学成分，而对脂解和风味强度有显着影响。