## 5 Conclusions  
This is the first assessment of quality and nutritional attributes of traditional dairy products from the Roja Mallorquina sheep breed, which are linked to geographic area of origin, highlighting specific traits, such as low percentage of fat and high content of antioxidant compounds. The variability in vitamins, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, and FA was influenced by the cheese-making process (differences between the cheese and the original milk) and by the type of cheese-making technology (differences between the cheeses, mainly related to heating, the use of starter culture, and ripening). Fresh soft cheese, compared to the original milk and ripened cheese, was generally characterised by better nutritional value for human health according to the fat-soluble components--a favourable level of retention of retinol and \(\alpha\)-tocopherol and a lower saturated FA percentage and lower atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. The fresh and ripened cheeses presented different volatile profiles derived from their distinct production methods.  
Given the social and economic importance of sheep's milk cheeses to small domestic producers in the Balearic Islands (Spain), this preliminary study can contribute to the recognition of the potential of the Roja Mallorquina native breed, add value to traditional products according to healthy nutritional criteria, and support the implementation of strategies to enhance commercialisation and obtain product labelling as \"pasture-fed\" or specific marks such as Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication. However, future studies are needed to further characterise the factors linked to geographical area of origin, including both natural (e.g., environment) and human (e.g., feeding management and production techniques) factors, and to investigate the relationship between the conditions of the cheese-making process and the nutritional value of cheese for human health.  
Conceptualisation, M.D.-P. and R.G.-P.; methodology, R.G.-P., O.P., H.G.-S., C.A., P.R.P.-C., A.H., J.L.G. and M.D.-P.; formal analysis, O.P., H.G.-S., C.A., P.R.P.-C., J.L.G. and M.D.-P.; investigation, R.G.-P.; data curation, O.P., H.G.-S., C.A., P.R.P.-C., J.L.G., A.H. and M.D.-P.; Writing--Original draft preparation, R.G.-P., O.P., H.G.-S., C.A., P.R.P.-C. and M.D.-P.; Writing--review and editing R.G.-P., O.P., H.G.-S., C.A., P.R.P.-C., A.H., J.L.G. and M.D.-P.; Supervision, project administration and funding acquisition, M.D.-P. and R.G.-P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the Institute of Agricultural and Fishing Research and Training (IRFAP) of the Government of the Balearic Islands (minor contract with the Research Foundation of the University of Seville PRJ201502671-0781) and the pre-doctoral contract grant (R.G.-P.) provided by the Spanish National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology and European Social Fund (FPI2014-00013).  
Not applicable.  
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.  
The authors express special thanks to the sheep farmers for their support and care. The authors also thank the General Service of Agricultural Research (University of Seville, Spain) and the Laboratorio Agroalimentario de Sevilla (Junta de Andalucia) for technical assistance in the laboratorial analysis.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis or interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript or the decision to publish the results.