# Evaluation of a New Bulk Packaging Container for the Ripening of Feta Cheese
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Sensory Evaluation of Feta Cheeses  
The sensory parameter values are shown in Figure 4. Color (Figure 4a) was affected (\(p<0.05\)) by both the packaging material and the ripening time. During the early stages of ripening, cheeses packaged in stainless-steel tanks had a brighter white color (\(p<0.05\)) than those in wooden barrels and tin can containers. Beginning on day 60, the color showed no significant difference (\(p>0.05\)) across all the cheese treatments. Regarding the effect of time, color acceptability scores, which are related to the degree of whiteness, increased (\(p<0.05\)) in all cheeses from a mean value of 4.2 on day 1, to 4.5 on day 60, to 5.0 on day 100. Such a change may be related to the more pronounced effect of light diffusion on proteins, due to their continuous breakdown during ripening [41]. [PERSON] et al. [9] reported no differences in the color of full- and low-fat brinted goat cheeses during ripening. Texture (Figure 4b) was not affected by the packaging material but was affected by the ripening time. Texture acceptability scores, which are related to the degree of firmness of the cheese body, increased (\(p<0.05\)) from a mean value of 3.7 (day 1) to 4.5 (day 60) to 4.8 (day 100). This finding correlates well with the increase in cheese hardness during ripening (Figure 4a) as a result of salt diffusion into the cheese mass and the synchronous moisture expulsion from the cheese mass (see also Section 3.3). Taste (Figure 4c) was affected by both the packaging material and the ripening time. The taste acceptability scores were the highest for the stainless-steel tank treatment and increased (\(p<0.05\)) from a mean value of 3.5 (day 1) to 4.5 (day 60) to 4.7 (day 100). This trend may be explained by enzymatic proteolysis and lipolysis (not determined in the present study) leading to the formation of both volatile and non-volatile flavor-active compounds [35]. This is highly important, since cheeses of up to one year may be consumed without exhibiting over-ripening problems. Finally, aroma (Figure 4d) was affected by both the packaging material and the ripening time. Cheeses packaged in stainless-steel tanks and wooden barrels generally recorded higher (\(p<0.05\)) aroma scores during the later stages of storage compared to those in tin can containers. This trend is in agreement with the results on the determination of cheeses volatiles (Section 3.2). Regarding the effect of the ripening time, aroma scores increased (\(p<0.05\)) from a mean value of 3.8 (day 1) to 4.6 (day 60) to 4.8 (day 100) as a result of the proteolysis and lipolysis reactions taking place in the cheese. Figure 4: Main effects plots for the sensory parameters of (**a**) color, (**b**) texture, (**c**) taste, and (**d**) aroma of Feta cheese as a function of the packaging material and ripening time. The present sensory results cannot be compared to the literature as this is the first time a sensory evaluation of Feta cheese has been carried out in relation to the effect of packaging materials on product acceptability. The only published study on the effect of packaging material on quality of Feta cheese, that of [PERSON] et al. [5], does not include a product sensory evaluation. With regard to the effect of the ripening time on the quality of Feta cheese, the present results are in general agreement with those of [PERSON] et al. [42], who reported no change in color/appearance and an improvement in the flavor of low-fat feta cheese prepared using a mixture of cow and buffalo milk over a 30-day ripening period. Our findings also concur with those of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [40] for full-fat white cow cheees, where there was no change in cheese color over a 60-day ripening period, and with those of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [39], who reported an improvement in cheese appearance but no effect on texture in hallucumi cheese during a 30-day ripening period. In contrast to the findings of the present study, [PERSON] et al.