Abstract
An important problem in mountain areas is the abandonment of pasture. This trend can be combated by the valorisation of typical dairy products, such as “Formaggella della Valle di Scalve”, a semi-cooked traditional cheese made from whole milk in a mountain area in Italy. The aim of the present research was to compare the fatty acid (FA) profile and the sensory properties of this cheese as manufactured under different conditions: i) from the milk of cows grazing on mountain or valley pasture or fed indoors; ii) from the milk of cows fed hay or fed silage. In the first case, five cheesemaking trials were conducted during two years for each of the following situations: mountain pasture (A); pasture at the bottom of the valley (P) (about 1000m asl); stall (S). In the second case, three cheesemaking trials were conducted for each of the following situations: cows fed silage (I); cows fed hay (F). S cheese was richer in medium-chain FAs, while long-chain FAs were higher in P and A cheeses. On the other hand, long chain fatty acids (LCFA) were more abundant in P and A cheeses than in S. In general, MUFA, PUFA and, consequently, total unsaturated FA (UFA), were significantly higher in the P and A cheeses than S (UFA: 36.55 and 38.34, respectively, vs. 31.13; p < 0.001), while SFA showed higher values in S (68.85 vs. 63.41 and 61.68 in P and A, respectively; p < 0.001). Conjugated linoleic acid isomers (CLA) were more represented in the P and A samples (1.86 in P and 1.52 in A, vs. 0.80 in S; p < 0.001); Omega 3 fatty acids, and in particular α-linolenic acid, were more abundant in P than in S cheese. In winter, the I sample (silage) presented higher percentages of myristic (C14), myristoleic (C14:1) and omega 6 acids, whereas F cheese (hay) contained higher concentrations of CLA. The triangular test of sensory analysis showed that, in general, F cheeses were judged as “sweeter” than I, with aromatic profiles characterized by higher content of 2- butanol and ethyl capronate.
Highlights
One of the main problems in the mountain areas in Italy is the abandonment of marginal portions of the territory, widely utilised in the past for traditional activities.In the specific case of Valle di Scalve (Lombardy Region, province of Bergamo), the causes of the phenomenon are to be found in the social, cultural and economic changes that affected mountain areas in the second post-war period
Since, during the summer period, milk contains more fat, the cheese produced in this season showed a higher fat content relative to the winter period, expressed both in 100 g of cheese and 100 g of dry matter
The experimentation demonstrated that the fat of the cheese obtained from stall milk was richer in medium-chain fatty acids
Summary
One of the main problems in the mountain areas in Italy is the abandonment of marginal portions of the territory, widely utilised in the past for traditional activities (agriculture, livestock, forestry).In the specific case of Valle di Scalve (Lombardy Region, province of Bergamo), the causes of the phenomenon are to be found in the social, cultural and economic changes that affected mountain areas in the second post-war period. One of the main problems in the mountain areas in Italy is the abandonment of marginal portions of the territory, widely utilised in the past for traditional activities (agriculture, livestock, forestry). A common strategy is focusing on the valorisation of typical dairy products, such as Formaggella della Valle di Scalve cheese. This product is made from raw whole milk added to with a natural milk-starter (milk of the day before, left to ferment overnight) and coagulated with commercial rennet. It is a semi-cooked cheese weighing about 2 kg, ripened from 20 days up to 3 months.
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