RESUMEN
The present work evaluates the contribution of esterase activities of lactic acid bacteria isolated from ewe's dairy products to the release of free fatty acids (FFA) in ewe's milk cheese models. At 60 days of ripening, single-strain cheeses Ov 409 and Ov 421 showed high levels of total FFA (3075 and 2494.62 mg/kg, respectively). Cheeses Ov 227-Ov 409 and Ov 421-Ov 409 presented high percentages of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). The highest levels of volatile free fatty acids (VFFA) were detected in cheeses Ov 409, Ov 421-Ov 409, and Ov 421-Ov 227. Studies on esterase activities showed that these strains hydrolyzed alpha-naphthyl derivatives of fatty acids from C2 to C6, mainly associated with the wall-membrane fraction. The results showed that the strains studied contributed to the release of FFA during ripening of ewe's milk cheese models. The increase of SCFA throughout ripening involves the action of esterases of starter strains.