DAIRY GOAT PRODUCTS OF EAST MEDITERRANEAN REGION OF TURKEY: KUNEFE AND SUNME CHEESES

WOS: 000413672900055Goat products have historically been used for multitude of purposes; forming an integral component of the livestock industry, plays a vital role in the socio economic structure of the rural community. Turkey has the highest goat population in Europe with 8 million head however; the population has a decreasing trend due to poor performance of native breeds, lack of state support policies and migration from the rural to urban areas by 40% from 13.3 million down to 8 million between the years of 1985 and 2014. Dairy goat products and cheeses constitute of a long historical back ground in Turkey, as well as many toher Mediterranean countries. Kunefe and Sunme cheeses are traditional dairy goat products that are produced in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey with local artisan cheese-making procedures. They are mostly made from goats', sometimes cows' milk or a mixture of both. With the high industrialisation like in many fields, artisanal cheese types are diminishing. While Kunefe cheese is sold fresh as soft cheese for a special dessert (Kunefe), Sunme cheese is usually consumed in the breakfast. The objectives of the present paper were to characterize the processing stages of Kunefe and Sunme cheeses produced from goats' milk and to describe their compositional characteristics. A better knowledge of their characteristics would support the improvement of the production technology and help to obtain a constant quality product capable of being successfully introduced into national and international markets. Apart from the present situation, production methods and steps affecting consumption of above mentioned cheese types are elaborated in this paper. Information gathered from this study may provide a better understanding of Kunefe and Sunme cheese and therefore could be useful to disseminate artisanal cheese types in the industry