Abstract
This study aims to assess the compositional traits and sensory characteristics of a traditional pecorino cheese associated with management and feeding system seasonality. The study was carried out on two mountain dairy farms using an outdoor, pasture-based system from April to October (OutS), and an indoor system (InS) during the rest of the year. Outdoor-produced milk had higher fat content and a tendency for protein and somatic cell count to be higher. The OutS cheeses showed higher dry matter and fat content, higher percentages of unsaturated fatty acids, C18:3, cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid, and trans-11 C18:1, and lower percentages of C14:0 and C16:0. These modifications in fatty acid composition determined the reduction of the atherogenic index. The OutS cheeses also displayed higher intensity of almost all sensory attributes, including odor, flavor, taste, and texture descriptors. The outdoor system partly reduced the liking of consumers for pecorino. However, changes in the productive process leading to an increment in the water content and softness of the cheeses (i.e., controlled humidity and temperature during ripening) may increase the overall liking of pasture-based products, thus promoting the consumption of healthier foods.
Highlights
Produced traditional foods are positively perceived by consumers and, a role is played by consumer feelings such as nostalgia, ethnocentrism, and need of authenticity, sensory properties remain the main determinant of purchase intent and food liking [1]
The farms were selected based on two main criteria: (1) use of pasture as the main feeding source during the grazing season; and (2) Bagnolese pecorino cheese entirely produced from farm milk
The grazing pastures of both farms were mostly composed of Poaceae and Fabaceae with reduced incidence of other grazing species (Table 3), since they were sown at 3–4 year intervals with the grass–legume mixtures as usually managed in the investigated area [31,32]
Summary
Produced traditional foods are positively perceived by consumers and, a role is played by consumer feelings such as nostalgia, ethnocentrism, and need of authenticity, sensory properties remain the main determinant of purchase intent and food liking [1]. Feeding plays a central role in affecting milk characteristics, which in turn shape cheese quality traits [4]. Forages, which represent the main ingredient of ruminants’ diets, are able to convey specific nutritional and organoleptic features to milk. They can significantly contribute to define cheese “terroir”. It has been well established that pasture and fresh herbage can positively change the fatty acid (FA) composition of
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