Characterization and comparative evaluation of milk and jardum from Sjenica pramenka sheep

The aim of this study was a comparative analysis of selected quality parameters and nutritional value of cooked sheep’s milk and jardum, a traditional dairy product from the Pešter region. Jardum is produced by prolonged thermal processing of sheep’s milk with the addition of table salt, aiming to reduce water content. The results of the analysis show that jardum contains nearly twice as much protein, fat, and lactose, three times more ash, half the amount of water, ten times more salt, a significantly higher energy value (313.60 kcal) compared to pasteurized sheep’s milk (163.20 kcal). The contents of saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in jardum were 65.13 %, 29.28 %, and 4.32 %, r espectively, while in pasteurized milk these values were 70.79 %, 24.57 %, and 3.45 %, respectively. More favorable lipid indices were found in jardum compared to milk. Differences in cholesterol content were not statistically significant. All evaluated sensory quality parameters, except for the intensity of sweet taste perception, were more pronounced in jardum compared to milk.