The Effect of Packaging Method and Storage Time on the Physicochemical Properties and Sensory Attributes of Goat Cheese

The study was conducted on 100 unsalted goat cheeses produced on a certified organic farm. From the 100 cheeses, 10 were selected, which constituted the so-called sample day 0 (before the start of cold storage) and were divided into three groups of 30 pieces each: A—unpackaged group; B—vacuum packed group; and C—vacuum packed group with MEGA CO2 absorbing insert. The cheeses were stored in a cold store at a temperature of 4 ± 1 °C and relative humidity of 85% for 5, 10, and 15 days. The greatest weight loss of the cheese was shown in group C (4.63%) and on the 10th day of storage (6.09%). The lowest pH value was recorded in groups B (6.31) and C (6.32) and on the 15th day of storage (5.48). The lowest titratable acidity was recorded in group C (14.90°SH) and in sample 0 (12.40 °SH). The highest value of shear force was in group B (3.89 N) and on the 10th day of storage (3.56 N). An analysis of the color parameters of the cheeses showed that the L* value on the surface and after cutting was the highest at p ≤ 0.01 and p ≤ 0.05 in group C and sample 0 and was, respectively: 94.30 and 94.97 and 95.31 and 96.17. The lowest values of the sensory evaluation were obtained in the case of cheeses from group A and on the 15th day of storage, where these values (points) were, respectively: 3.32 and 3.76—color; 2.79 and 3.32—aroma; 3.27 and 3.64—appearance; 4.07 and 4.18—structure and 2.80 and 2.91—taste.