Comparison between organic and conventional goat yoghurts marketed in Italy

Goat milk has been described as having a better digestibility and lower allergenic properties than cow milk. The increasing demand for food safety induces consumers to prefer organic foodstuffs, which are perceived to be healthier than conventional products. The aim of this paper was to compare organic and conventional goat yoghurts marketed in Italy. The results evidenced that conventional samples showed significantly higher mean values of total solids, proteins, total lactic acid and apparent viscosity, and significantly lower mean values of pH than organic yoghurts. Moreover, the latter received significantly higher mean scores for the descriptors yoghurt flavor, while the conventional samples received significantly higher mean scores for the descriptors floury, mouth thickness and spoon thickness. The organic yoghurts differed from conventional ones for their composition and aromatic profile. The present work pointed out that conventional yoghurts are often submitted to fortification, probably with the aim of making them similar to cow yoghurts.