Technological characterization and sensory evaluation of a traditional Algerian fresh cheese clotted with Cynara cardunculus L. flowers and lactic acid bacteria.

Jben is an Algerian traditional fresh cheese produced on a small scale in a limited area of east and west Algeria, in Maghnia and Nadrouma. It is manufactured from raw sheep, cow or goat milks, coagulated with dried flowers of wild thistle Cynara cardunculus L. without starter culture addition. In this work, Jben was made using cow and goat pasteurized milks to improve the microbiological quality. Milk was clotted with crude enzymatic extract of dried flowers of wild thistle C. cardunculus L. In order to obtain a better organoleptic characteristic, the assays of cheese making were realized with adding strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional cheeses. Physico-chemical and microbiological analyzes were carried out on the manufactured cheeses. Milk was clotted with 0.5% v/v by aqueous extract (40 g/L) of dried flowers of C. cardunculus L. Better organoleptic quality and higher cheese yield were obtained with goat milk. Cheese made from pasteurized goat's milk added with Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, and that added with the mixture of lactic acid bacteria strains L. lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus raffinolactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroïdes ssp. mesenteroïdes, were the most appreciated. It is believed that the activity of L. raffinolactis in dairy products may contribute to their final sensory characteristics.