Dietary supplementation of Saanen goats with dried licorice root modifies chemical and textural properties of dairy products.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of dietary integration with dried licorice root on the chemical-nutritional qualities of goat milk and cheeses. The study was conducted for 60 d, during which 30 Saanen goats were divided into 2 groups: a control group (CG) that received a standard diet and an experimental group (LG+) whose diet was supplemented with licorice. At the end of the study, milk samples were collected to determine chemical-nutritional compositions and fatty acid (FA) profiles. Cheeses produced with CG and LG+ bulk milk were analyzed for chemical-physical parameters after 3 (T3) and 30 (T30) d of ripening. A different FA profile and a significant increase in protein and casein were observed in LG+ milk samples compared with CG milk. Regarding cheeses, an increase of proteins and fat was found in LG+ cheeses, which also were harder, more elastic, and more gummy than the CG samples after both 3 and 30 d of ripening. A different protein profile was detected in the 2 groups without significant variations in casein fractions (αS2-casein and β-casein) during ripening. Moreover, greater oxidative stability was found in LG+ cheeses at both T3 and T30. Different families of volatile compounds were detected in T30 cheeses obtained from both groups. A significant reduction of octanoic acid and an increase in nonanal and ketones were found in LG+ T3 cheeses, whereas the LG+ T30 cheeses were characterized by a significant decrease of hexanoic acid an increase of 3-methyl-1-butanol and acetoin. We concluded that it is possible to assert that dietary integration with dried licorice root modified chemical and technological properties of goat cheeses, reducing lipid oxidation during ripening and inducing changes in texture that could improve consumer acceptability, although further studies are needed from this point of view.