Quantification of the Effect of the Cattle Breed on Milk Cheese Yield: Comparison between Italian Brown Swiss and Italian Friesian.

Piero Franceschi,Massimo Malacarne,Michele Faccia,Andrea Summer,Paolo Formaggioni

doi:10.3390/ani10081331

Abstract

Milk from different cattle breeds can present different casein and fat contents, which are reflected in different cheese yields (CY). However, CY is also related to some breed-related molecular characteristics. The aim of the present work was to quantify the effect of these characteristics by comparing a series of Parmigiano Reggiano (PR) cheese-making trials made with milks from Italian Brown (IB) and Italian Friesian (IF) cattle herds. Twelve trials were carried out in a cheese factory in one year (one trial per month), each one consisting of four vats processed in parallel: three vats contained milk from three different IF cattle herds (IF1, IF2 and IF3) and one contained milk from a single IB cattle herd. A 24-h CY prediction formula was developed with data from IF1, IF2 and IF3 trials (calibration) and successively validated by applying it to 12 PR trials made with IF milk in six different cheese factories (external validation). The predicted values of 24-h CY were no different to the actual ones in both calibration and external validation. Finally, the formula was tested on trials made with IB milk. In this case, the predicted values were lower than the actual ones. The quantity of IF milk casein necessary to give the same CY of IB milk was 0.20 g/100 g.

Highlights

The profitability of the dairy industry is closely linked to the cheese yield capacity of the milk processed, expressed as the kg of cheese obtained from 100 kg milk
Total nitrogen (N,) non casein N and non-protein N were quantified in milk and whey by the Kjeldahl method according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) standards [17,18,19]
Italian Brown cattle herd (IB) milk showed the highest content of dry matter, protein, whey protein, casein, k-casein B

Summary

Introduction

The profitability of the dairy industry is closely linked to the cheese yield capacity of the milk processed, expressed as the kg of cheese obtained from 100 kg milk. Animals 2020, 10, 1331 basically consists of the concentration and following partial dehydration of the casein matrix in which fat globules are entrapped (the curd), the cheese yield is positively correlated with the casein and fat contents of milk. The yield is influenced by the processing conditions that determine the amount of whey retained in cheese, such as the rennet dose, pH of vat milk, temperature of coagulation, curd cutting and cooking, pressing, etc. For this reason, fat and casein contents are greatly considered by dairies in the payment systems of milk according to quality [1]. Italian Friesian cows, whose population corresponds to about 80% of dairy cows raised in Italy, produce milk with lower fat (−0.21 or −1.35 g/100 g) and casein

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