Chemical characteristics, fatty acid compositions, conjugated linoleic acid contents and cholesterol levels of some traditional Turkish cheeses

The chemical characteristics, fatty acid and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) contents and cholesterol levels of some traditional Turkish cheeses that are consumed mostly in Turkey were determined in this study. The fatty acid and cholesterol contents and CLA amount of cheeses were analysed as methyl esters by gas chromatography. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional profile of some Turkish cheeses produced by traditional methods. The major fatty acids of the cheeses were palmitic acid ([C.sub.16:0]) and oleic acid ([C.sub.18:1]). The saturated fatty acid content of samples changed between 60.80% and 76.57%, while the monounsaturated fatty acid content ranged from 21.42% to 34.05% and the polyunsaturated fatty acid content was between 1.47% and 3.59%. The CLA contents of the cheeses ranged from 0.44 to 1.04 g/ 100 g in fat. The cholesterol levels of the samples were determined as 44.6-147.69 mg/100 g in cheese. Keywords: Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), cholesterol level, fatty acid composition, traditional Turkish cheeses