## 3 Results and Discussion
### Texture Profile Analysis (TPA)  
The TPA results are summarized in Table 4, with \(p\)-values presented in Table S5 (see Supplementary Materials). To the best of the author's knowledge, no prior studies have investigated the texture profile analysis (TPA) of cheeses enriched with algae, making direct comparisons unfeasible. Hardness values ranged from 5.2 to 19.4 N, showing significant differences among all samples (\(p\) = 0.0495). In general, these results do not align with previous findings by [PERSON] [95] on goat cheese from Quebrada de Humahuaca (Argentina) (34 N) or by [PERSON] et al. [96] on \"Palmero\" semi-hard goat cheese (40.67 N) after 40 days of ripening. Prior research has established a direct correlation between hardness and moisture content [97; 98], as a lower water content increases the concentration of casein and strengthens casein bonds, both of which contribute to increased hardness [97; 99]. In the case of SHGC-PP (5.2 N), its lower hardness may be attributed to the discontinuities introduced by the seaweed particles within the cheese matrix. These particles likely disrupted the curd structure, leading to larger pore sizes and reduced textural firmness. Adhesiveness values ranged from 0.07 to 0.28 J, though statistical analysis revealed no significant differences among the samples (\(p\) > 0.05). These low to relatively low adhesiveness values indicate a drier cheese crust [100], consistent with findings by [PERSON] et al. [82] for goat's and sheep's cheeses. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline  & **Control** & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Supplemented Products**} \\ \cline{2-4}
**TPA Parameters [a]** & **SHGC-C** & **SHGC-PP** & **SHGC-U** \\ \hline Hardness (N) & 19.43 \(\pm\) 0.69 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 5.24 \(\pm\) 1.77 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 12.47 \(\pm\) 2.62 \({}^{\text{c}}\) \\ Adhesiveness (J) & 0.07 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 0.28 \(\pm\) 0.24 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 0.22 \(\pm\) 0.17 \({}^{\text{a}}\) \\ Cohesiveness (1) & 0.75 \(\pm\) 0.04 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 0.74 \(\pm\) 0.11 \({}^{\text{ab}}\) & 0.56 \(\pm\) 0.17 \({}^{\text{b}}\) \\ Springiness (mm) & 3.61 \(\pm\) 0.14 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 3.37 \(\pm\) 0.26 \({}^{\text{ab}}\) & 3.36 \(\pm\) 0.03 \({}^{\text{b}}\) \\ Gumminess (N) & 14.46 \(\pm\) 0.22 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 4.94 \(\pm\) 1.62 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 6.81 \(\pm\) 2.20 \({}^{\text{b}}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} \({}^{\text{a}}\)Legend: SHGC-C = semi-hard goat’s cheese control; SHGC-PP = semi-hard goat’s cheese supplemented with Palmaria palmata; SHGC-U = semi-hard goat’s cheese supplemented with _Ulva_ sp. [a] Data are expressed as mean \(\pm\) SD (\(n\) = 3). Different letters indicate significant differences among treatments (\(p\) < 0.05).  
\end{table} 
Table 4: TPA parameters (hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, springiness, and gumminess) for the SHGCs \({}^{*}\) after 30 days of cheese ripening. Cohesiveness values varied significantly (\(p\) = 0.0495), with SHGC-U exhibiting the lowest value (0.56) and SHGC-C the highest (0.75). The presence of small seaweed particles in the supplemented cheeses likely contributed to this variation by altering the cheese matrix structure. Springiness values ranged from 3.36 mm (SHGC-U) to 3.61 mm (SHGC-C), with significant differences observed between them (\(p\) < 0.05). Cheese proteolysis negatively correlates with springiness, as protein breakdown leads to a softer texture [101; 102]. A lower degree of springiness also reduces resistance to deformation, which explains the lower cohesiveness observed in SHGC-U [103]. Gumminess values also varied significantly (\(p\) = 0.0495), with the lowest value recorded for SHGC-PP (4.94 N) and the highest for SHGC-C (14.46 N). The control cheese required approximately 7.5 to 10 N more energy to reach a ready-to-swallow consistency compared to the supplemented cheeses. This difference is likely due to the higher moisture content in the supplemented cheeses, which reduces gumminess and structural integrity.