Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese Research Articles

Microbiome signatures associated with flavor development differentiate Protected Designation of origin water Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from different production areas

Water Buffalo Mozzarella (BM) is a typical cheese from Southern Italy with unique flavor profile and texture. It is produced following a traditional back-slopping procedure and received the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label. To better understand the link between the production area, the microbiome composition and the flavor profile of the products, we performed a multiomic characterization of PDO BM collected from 57 different dairies located in the two main PDO production area, i.e. Caserta (n = 35) and Salerno (n = 22). Thus, we assessed the microbiome by high-throughput shotgun metagenomic sequencing and the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus helveticus, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii were identified as the core microbiome present in all samples. However, the microbiome taxonomic profiles resulted in a clustering of the samples based on their geographical origin, also showing that BM from Caserta had a greater microbial diversity. Consistently, Caserta and Salerno samples also showed different VOC profiles. These results suggest that the microbiome and its specific metabolic activity are part of the terroir that shape BM specific features, linking this traditional product with the area of production, thus opening new clues for improving traceability and fraud protection of traditional products.

The real subsumption of nature and cryopolitics: Temporal fixes in dairy farming in Southern Italy

Water buffaloes have a seasonal cycle of reproduction. Normally they tend to reproduce more when the daylight hours decrease. This seasonal reproduction also means that most of the buffalo calves would be born in autumn and winter in Italy where buffaloes are dairy animals, and milk production would be the highest in these seasons. However, consumer demand for the PDO (Protected designation of origin) mozzarella cheese is the highest in spring and summer. In order to deal with the imbalances between the seasonality of milk production and mozzarella consumption, and the strict regulations of the PDO cheese production, farmers and veterinarians resort to a temporal fix, and they regularly deseasonalise buffalo reproduction. However, there is an obvious discrepancy between the use of this and other fixes (cryotechnologies) generally associated with industrial agriculture, and the idea of traditional and sustainable food production. By engaging with relevant economic geography and political ecology literature, this paper investigates the temporal fixes in dairy farming and agri-food production through an in-depth empirical analysis of deseasonalisation, as a particular form of the real subsumption of nature, and cryopolitics in buffalo mozzarella cheese production in Southern Italy. The work presented in this article is based on multi-sited qualitative field research of buffalo farming and mozzarella cheese production in Campania region. This paper also has wider implications on how socio-ecological fixes shape ‘just-in-time’ animal agriculture and agri-food production.

Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of buffalo mozzarella cheese supply chain in central Italy

Public opinion about environmental aspects is generating a widespread concern, which contributes to lead consumers to choose sustainable products. Livestock systems are responsible for the emissions of different pollutants and, as a consequence, this is reflected in the environmental sustainability of animal-based products.This study was aimed at evaluating the environmental impacts of buffalo mozzarella cheese with a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment approach from the primary production of milk to the end-of-life of buffalo mozzarella cheese. The functional units were 1 kg of buffalo Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) evaluated at farm gate and 1 kg of consumed buffalo mozzarella cheese evaluated at consumers’ home.The study enrolled 9 buffalo dairy farms, 2 dairy plants and 4 markets where 243 customers were surveyed. Processes of raw milk production, mozzarella cheese making, transports, retail and home consumption were considered. The accounted environmental impacts were: climate change (CC), terrestrial acidification (TA), freshwater eutrophication (FE), marine eutrophication (ME), ozone depletion (OD), ecotoxicity (EC), human toxicity (HT), land use (LU) and fossil depletion (FD). Buffalo farming was the primary hotspot accounting for more than 50% throughout all impact categories and having a major role in CC, TA, FE, ME, OD and LU. The energy consumption of cheese making had a contribution of 29% in HT, whereas the use of high-emitting vehicles by consumers accounted for 23% and 17% in EC and FD, respectively. To reduce several sources of pollution and mitigate the environmental impacts of buffalo mozzarella cheese, the LCA hotspots identification can lead to the development of specific mitigating strategies to improve sustainability along the supply chain. The development of farm-based models may better assess environmental impacts, the mitigation achieved by the implemented best practices and the “pollution swapping” effect to evaluate the effectiveness of the mitigation strategy.

Use of Cyanobacterium Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) in Buffalo Feeding: Effect on Mozzarella Cheese Quality.

The high demand for PDO buffalo mozzarella cheese is leading to the use of new strategies for feeding supplementation. Spirulina is acknowledged as a valuable source of protein with antioxidant and immune-modulatory effects in humans and animals. This investigation aimed to examine the effect of Spirulina integration in buffalo diets on mozzarella cheese quality, sensory profile, consumer acceptability, and willingness to pay (WTP). The trial was carried out on two groups of 12 buffaloes that differed in Spirulina integration: 50 g/head/d before calving (1 month) and 100 g/head/d after calving (2 months). Both the bulk milk and mozzarella cheese samples from the two groups did not differ in chemical composition. However, Spirulina inclusion influenced the sensory quality of mozzarella cheese, which resulted it being externally brighter, with a higher butter odour and whey flavour and greater sweetness, bitterness, juiciness, tenderness, oiliness, and buttermilk release than the control. The consumer test showed that information about Spirulina affected consumer liking, causing them to be in favour of the Spirulina group, leading to a higher price for it. In conclusion, Spirulina inclusion in buffalo diets affected the sensory quality of mozzarella cheese. The provision of product information to consumers can be a crucial factor in determining their liking and WTP.

Concentrations of macro and microelement in Brazilian white cheeses: Evaluating sample preparation procedures and estimation of dietary intake

Two sample preparation procedures, microwave-assisted and closed digestion block, were developed to establish the nutritional content of white cheeses. A two-level full factorial design was performed to optimize the decomposition parameters. Under optimum conditions, both procedures led to low dissolved carbon content (< 11% w.w-1) employing 2 mol. L-1 HNO3. Nevertheless, the closed block presented smaller analytical throughput with approximately 11 digested samples h-1 against 20 samples h-1 for MW. Both procedures showed accuracy for Ca, K, P, Na, and Zn and precision with RSD < 10%. The limits of detection ranged from 2.2 (P) to 16 μg g-1 (Ca) (microwave) and 0.8 (K) to 14 μg g-1 (Na) (closed block). The validated procedures were employed to analyze buffalo mozzarella, minas frescal, Ricotta, Coalho, and cottage cheeses. Based on the nutritional analysis, the type of cheese influenced the variation in nutrient content. Furthermore, for all types of cheese, a discrepancy (p < 0.05) was observed between concentrations for at least one analyte, confirming the lack of uniformity in nutritional composition. The recommended daily intake evaluation demonstrated that all samples of buffalo mozzarella and minas frescal cheese analyzed could be considered sources of Ca and P.

Effect of a new sustainable cooling system used during firming and brining on the microbiological, chemical, and sensory characteristics of buffalo mozzarella cheese.

The cooling applied during the firming and brining processes represents an important production step in mozzarella cheese-making. The temperature fluctuations of the cooling water can negatively affect the hygiene, composition, and quality of mozzarella. Some sustainable cooling systems can minimize this problem by using hot process fluids as heat sources to generate refrigerated energy. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a new cooling system equipped with a water-ammonia absorption chiller (MA) on the characteristics of buffalo mozzarella through a comparative study with products cooled with a traditional ice water chiller (MT). The buffalo mozzarella cheese manufacture was monitored, and the samples were analyzed for chemical, nutritional, microbiological, and sensory characteristics. The MT samples showed an overall weight loss of 7.4% compared to an average of 2.8% for the MA samples. The MT samples were characterized by greater sapidity than the MA ones, which instead showed a higher moisture content that increased juiciness. The microbiological analysis showed a lower concentration of mesophilic bacterial load in the MA samples than in the MT ones [difference of 1 Log (CFU/g)], which is probably due to the low and constant temperatures that reduced the permanence time of the mozzarella in the vats (firming and brining). This study represents a preliminary positive evaluation of the use of this sustainable cooling system for mozzarella cheese, which is useful for dairy plants with an annual cheese production volume sufficient to justify the operating cost of the plant and the annual energy cost.

Fluorescence digital image-based method to measure biogenic amines in Buffalo Mozzarella and other cheeses produced in Brazil

A fluorescence digital image-based (FDIB) method was applied for the determination of total biogenic amines in Mozzarella, Buffalo Mozzarella, Prato and Coalho cheese. For the first time in the literature a FDIB has been applied to quantify biogenic amines (BA) in cheese samples. No analytical methods have been reported before for the analysis of BA in Buffalo Mozzarella. Therefore, two BAs, i.e., Histamine and Tyramine were selected as models to evaluate the behavior of BAs during the derivatization reaction with dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl). The total biogenic amines ranged from 16.98 ± 0.98 mg L−1 to 72.48 ± 1.78 mg L−1 for cheese samples. Similar results with a confidence level of 95% were obtained using high performance liquid chromatography with spectrophotometric detection at 254 nm. The FDIB method developed reduces analytical steps such as extraction of excess of derivatizing agent, purification, removal of the used solvent, pre-concentration of analytes, filtration, and other analytical procedures that are used in HPLC, colorimetry, spectrophotometry, spectrofluorometry and other analytical methods. Thus, the FDIB is faster, low cost and generates less waste, being a more green method compared to the mentioned methods.

The multivariate effect of chemical and oxidative characteristics of Buffalo Mozzarella cheese produced with different contents of frozen curd

This study evaluates the effect of using frozen curd on the chemical characteristics and oxidative modifications of Mozzarella cheese. Samples of Buffalo Mozzarella cheese with different frozen curd contents (0%, 5%, 20% and 50% w/w) were produced in three dairies and analysed after 1 and 9 days. Spectra of Mozzarella samples also were acquired by near‐infrared spectyoscopy. By increasing the frozen curd content, the fat content and antioxidant activity of the Mozzarella cheese were reduced. During storage, the increase in moisture content and the reduction in fat and protein content occurred. The redox potential of Mozzarella was positive and increased over time.

An electrophoretic approach to reveal the freshness of buffalo mozzarella cheese

Freshness is one of the more appreciated attributes for high moisture buffalo mozzarella cheese (BMC) that guarantees highest quality for the consumer. However, freshness decreases during shelflife of this cheese due to proteolysis events caused mainly by milk endogenous enzymes, such as plasmin. Plasmin generated γ-casein (γ-CN) fragments from β-CN proteolysis can be assessed by SDS-PAGE and image analysis; β-CN decrease and γ-CN increase represent useful markers to obtain an index of freshness (Φ). For this purpose, a “Control Line” was assessed analysing BMC with PDO certification. Samples were stored under different conditions (room temperature, refrigerated and frozen) for different times. Moreover, 145 BMC samples purchased from markets were studied to understand if the calculated Φ was consistent with the Control Line study results. Assessing the proteolysis mechanism for formation of γ-CN fragments provides a reliable method to evaluate freshness of PDO BMC during storage of this typical Italian product.

Carbon Footprint of a Typical Neapolitan Pizzeria

Neapolitan pizza is very popular worldwide and is registered on the traditional specialties guaranteed (TSG) list. This study was aimed at identifying the cradle-to-grave carbon footprint (CF) of a medium-sized pizza restaurant serving in situ or takeaway true Neapolitan pizzas conforming to the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2050 standard method. An average CF of ~4.69 kg CO2e/diner was estimated, about 74% of which was due to the production of the ingredients used (with buffalo mozzarella cheese alone representing as much as 52% of CF). The contribution of beverages, packaging materials, transportation, and energy sources varied within 6.8 and 4.6% of CF. The percentage relative variation of CF with respect to its basic score was of about +26%, +4.4%, and +1.6% or +2.1%, provided that the emission factor of buffalo mozzarella, fresh cow mozzarella (fiordilatte), Grana Padano cheeses, and electricity varied by +50% with respect to each corresponding default value, respectively. The specific carbon footprint for Marinara pizza was equal to ~4 kg CO2e/kg, while for Margherita pizza, it was up to 5.1, or 10.8 kg CO2e/kg when topped with fresh cow or buffalo mozzarella cheese. To help pizza restaurant operators select the most rewarding mitigation strategy, we explored how CF was affected by more sustainable buffalo mozzarella cheese production, lighter and reusable containers for beer, mineral water, and main fresh vegetables, newer diesel-powered vans, less air-polluting electric ovens instead of traditional wood-fired ovens, as well as renewable electricity sources.

Impact of Freezing on the Microbiological Quality and Physical Characteristics of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese.

Simple SummaryBuffalo Mozzarella cheese from Campania is made from the fresh milk of the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. In 1996, thanks to its distinctive characteristics (specific environmental conditions and production method), Regulation (EC) No. 1107/96 recognized it as a Protected Designation of Origin product. The limited availability of milk and the increased demand for buffalo mozzarella cheese, especially during the spring-summer period (when milk production is lowest), have induced the use of frozen milk or curd for its production. The aim of this research was to provide preliminary results about the effect of freezing on microbial communities of fresh buffalo milk, curd and Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, and on physical properties (whiteness, hardness, and oxidation state) of Buffalo Mozzarella cheese. The preliminary results obtained have allowed us to conclude that the freezing process if properly carried out, does not compromise the microbiological quality of the products but produces only slight changes of some physical properties.Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from Campania is one of the most worldwide appreciated Italian dairy products. The increased demand for buffalo dairy products and the limited availability of the finest buffalo milk has prompted the diffusion of illicit practices, such as the use of milk, curd, or other products that are frozen or bought at low cost. The aim of this research was to provide preliminary results about the trend of the microbial communities of buffalo milk, curd and Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, during freezing storage of eleven months. At the same time, the alterations of physical properties and the presence of the molecular marker “γ4-casein”, have been investigated. The results showed that freezing reduced the concentrations of the total bacterial count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, Escherichia coli and yeasts in fresh milk and, the concentrations of the total bacterial count, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in mature curd. In the finished product, no notable decreases were observed, except for lactic acid bacteria. About the γ4-casein, no increase was observed in all matrices. These preliminary results allow us to conclude that the freezing process if properly carried out, does not compromise the microbiological quality and the physical properties of the Buffalo Mozzarella cheese.

Biodiversity and succession of lactic microbiota involved in Brazilian buffalo mozzarella cheese production.

The biodiversity and succession of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) involved in the production and storage of Brazilian buffalo mozzarella cheese were evaluated. The isolates were characterized by Gram staining and catalase test, by the ability to grow at different conditions: temperatures, pH, concentrations of NaCl, and production of CO2 from glucose. The biodiversity and succession of 152 LAB isolated during cheese production were evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR), and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) techniques. Most of the strains grow well at 30°C and are tolerant to 6.5% of NaCl, and in general, the best pH for growing was 9.6. Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lacticaseibacillus casei, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, and Enterococcus sp. were prevalent and present in almost all steps of production. The LAB strains are typically found in the traditional Italian cheese, except the Leuconostoc citreum species. Sixty clusters were obtained by RAPD-PCR with 85% of similarity (114 isolates) while most of the LAB was clustered with 100% of similarity by the RFLP-PCR technique. The applied techniques enabled a valuable elucidation of the LAB biodiversity and succession, contributing to a better understanding of the specific microbial cultures with a technological aptitude of this cheese.

Advances and Perspectives in Research on Buffalo Milk Production and Mozzarella Cheese

Objective: To conduct a bibliographic review of the inventory and distribution of the buffalo herd, leading dairy buffalo breeds, and to map the main research topics for dairy buffaloes, emphasizing feeding methods and their effects on milk and mozzarella cheese quality.Design/Methodology/Approach: Analysis of the main research topics on dairy buffalo, through a wide review of specialized journals.Results: The production and processing of buffalo milk has gained relevance in recent years along different latitudes thanks to its nutritional qualities and the international regard for products such as mozzarella cheese. The main studies are carried out in Asia, Italy, and Brazil, emphasizing that diets are a determining factor in yield and quality of milk and its derivatives, but that genetics, environment, and animal managementare what in the end model these characteristics.Study Limitations/Implications: To conduct further research on dairy buffalo, especially in Mexico, where it has important development opportunities.Findings/Conclusions: The bibliographic body of work presents practical restrictions, advances are recognized, and also the need to further research topics such as reproduction and animal welfare, management and valuation of buffalo milk and its derivatives, with the opportunity to explore organic production.

Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in buffalo milk from the Campania region (Italy): Decreasing trend and baseline assessment over 10 years (2008–2018)

Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorodibenzo-furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (DL-PCBs) enter the food chain from the environment. In this study, we report the 2008–2018 time-trends in the PCDD/F and DL-PCB contamination of milk from buffaloes fed on local forage in rural areas of the Campania region. Validated according to QA/QC criteria, the dataset (N = 808 on a total of 2068 samples, after excluding follow-up results and outliers) was computed on the upper-bound value pg WHO-TEQ2005 g−1fat. We assessed time-trends and assayed baseline contamination levels, which displayed log-normal distribution. A significant decreasing trend (p < 0.01) was observed from 2008 to 2009 and 2010; the P50–P95 range fell from 2.37–8.48 pg WHO-TEQ2005 g−1fat (N = 393) in 2008 to 1.73–4.61 in 2009 (N = 86) and to 0.67–1.46 in 2010 (N = 42). From 2010 to 2018 (N = 329), no significant variation was found among years and the related dataset fitted a log-normal distribution (p < 0.05). Occurrence descriptors indicated that the baseline contamination of dairy products (mean = 0.54; P50–P95 = 0.47–1.24) in the Campania Region was well below the EU regulatory limit in force (5.5 pg WHO-TEQ2005 g−1fat). Given the Tolerable Weekly Intake of 2 pg WHO-TEQ kg−1 body weight (bw) proposed by the EFSA for PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs, this level of baseline contamination is discussed with regard to the orientation of food safety and food security risk connected with buffalo mozzarella cheese production.

Circular economy in the agro-industry: Integrated environmental assessment of dairy products

Bio-circular strategies to improve production and consumption can be the answer to decrease the current environmental pressure of the dairy sector. Environmental impacts are related to the extensive fodder production with intense use of fertilizers, greenhouse gasses emission from cattle and fossil fuels. To understand and measure the burdens of a dairy production chain (particularly buffalo mozzarella cheese, a specialty of the Campania Region, Italy), the Life Cycle Assessment and Emergy accounting Applied Framework (LEAF) was applied. Many studies evaluated dairy systems using single methods, which are unable to capture all sustainable perspectives. The LEAF evaluation encompasses an Ex-ante LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) to identify the hotspots and suggest feasible improved scenarios of the investigated case study. Followed by EMA (EMergy Accounting) and Ex-post LCA applications, LEAF assures the feasibility of the proposed solutions and verifies the reduction of the environmental burdens towards increased sustainability. Two different scenarios were built based on the identified hotspots (cleaning products and electricity): (i) a technological improvement (dealing with cleaning processes methods), (ii) an eco-efficiency perspective (fossil energy replaced with renewable alternatives). Additionally, viewpoint shifting scenarios based on (iii) different allocation procedures were proposed to discuss crucial methodological issues. Results showed that technological improvements provide the best environmental performance, with lower emissions and better Emergy indicators, and better work conditions. However, the use of a more renewable electricity mix can deliver similar environmental gains. The change of perspective in the last scenario highlighted that multi-output issues should be carefully treated to avoid misleading results.

Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) Analysis for the Detection and Quantification of Cow DNA in Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese.

Simple SummaryBuffalo mozzarella cheese, sold as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product, is made exclusively from Mediterranean buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) milk. To maximize their profits and overcome seasonal shortages of buffalo milk, some producers have started to produce “PDO” buffalo mozzarella cheese by adulterating buffalo milk with milk from different species. such as bovine, thus defrauding consumers. This practice has led the Italian government to reinforce controls on food mislabeling and fraud through traceability mechanisms. The aim of this work is the development of a molecular assay—droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction technique (ddPCR)—able to detect the DNA of cow and/or buffalo milk in PDO buffalo mozzarella cheese, thus revealing fraud. The results have highlighted that, thanks to its high precision and sensitivity, the ddPCR could represent an efficacious means of supporting the official controls aimed at combating the adulteration of buffalo mozzarella cheese with bovine milk.Buffalo mozzarella cheese is one of the most appreciated traditional Italian products and it is certified as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product under the European Commission Regulation No. 1151/2012. It is obtained exclusively from buffalo milk. If made from cow milk, or a mixture of buffalo and cow milk, buffalo mozzarella cheese does not qualify as a PDO product. In order to maximize their profits, some producers market buffalo mozzarella that also contains cow milk as a PDO product, thus defrauding consumers. New methods for revealing this fraud are therefore needed. One such method is the droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR). Thanks to its high precision and sensitivity, the ddPCR could prove an efficacious means for detecting the presence of cow milk in buffalo mozzarella cheese that is marketed as a PDO product. ddPCR has proved able to detect the DNA of cow and/or buffalo milk in 33 buffalo mozzarella cheeses labelled as PDO products, and experimental evidence could support its application in routine analyses.

Chemical Characteristics and Oxidative Stability of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese Produced with Fresh and Frozen Curd.

Milk and dairy products can have variable contents of antioxidant compounds that contribute to counteract the oxidation of lipids and proteins during processing and storage. The content of active antioxidant compounds is closely linked to their protection by oxidation. Freezing is one of the factors that can reduce antioxidant activity. Freezing of milk or curd is frequently used in case of the seasonality of milk production and/or seasonal increased demand for some products. In this paper, the effect of using frozen curd on the oxidative stability of buffalo Mozzarella cheese was evaluated. Samples of buffalo Mozzarella with different frozen curd content (0%, 5%, 20%, and 50%) were produced and analyzed at one and nine days. Mozzarella cheese with higher frozen curd content had a significant increase in redox potential parallel to the decrease in antioxidant activity, showing less protection from oxidation. Lipid and protein oxidation, expressed respectively by malondialdehyde and carbonyl content, increased significantly with increasing frozen curd. At nine days, carbonyls significantly increased while malondialdehyde content did not vary, showing that during storage, fat was more protected from oxidation than protein. The average carbonyl levels were comparable to those of some cooked cheeses, and the malondialdehyde levels were even lower. The results of this study stimulate the investigation of new strategies to decrease the oxidative damage in cheeses produced in the presence of factors decreasing oxidative stability.

Spotting Frozen Curd in PDO Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese Through Insights on Its Supramolecular Structure Acquired by 1H TD-NMR Relaxation Experiments

The addition of frozen curd (FC) during the production process of “Mozzarella di Bufala Campana”, an Italian cheese with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), is a common fraud not involving modifications of the chemical composition in the final product. Its detection cannot thus be easily obtained by common analytical methods, which are targeted at changes in concentrations of diagnostic chemical species. In this work, the possibility of spotting this fraud by focusing on the modifications of the supramolecular structure of the food matrix, detected by time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) experiments, was investigated. Cheese samples were manufactured in triplicate, according to the PDO disciplinary of production, except for using variable amounts of FC (i.e., 0, 15, 30, and 50% w/w). Relaxation data were analysed through different approaches: (i) Discrete multi-exponential fitting, (ii) continuous Laplace inverse fitting, and (iii) chemometrics approach. The strategy that lead to best detection results was the chemometrics analysis of raw Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) decays, allowing to discriminate between compliant and adulterated samples, with as low as 15% of FC addition. The strategy is based on the use of machine learning for projection on latent structures of raw CPMG data and classification tasks for fraud detection, using quadratic discriminant analysis. By coupling TD-NMR raw decays with machine learning, this work opens the way to set up a system for detecting common food frauds modifying the matrix structure, for which no official authentication methods are yet available.

Exposure to Bacillus cereus in Water Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese.

Bacillus cereus is a spoilage bacterium and is recognized as an agent of food poisoning. Two food-borne illnesses are caused by B. cereus: a diarrheal disease, associated with cytotoxin K, hemolysin BL, non-hemolytic enterotoxin and enterotoxin FM, and an emetic syndrome, associated with the cereulide toxin. Owing to the heat resistance of B. cereus and its ability to grow in milk, this organism should be considered potentially hazardous in dairy products. The present study assessed the risk of B. cereus poisoning due to the consumption of water buffalo mozzarella cheese. A total of 340 samples were analyzed to determine B. cereus counts (ISO 7932:2005); isolates underwent molecular characterization to detect the presence of genes encoding toxins. Eighty-nine (26.1%) samples harbored B. cereus strains, with values ranging from 2.2 × 102 to 2.6 × 106 CFU/g. Isolates showed eight different molecular profiles, and some displayed virulence characteristics. Bacterial counts and the toxin profiles of isolates were evaluated both separately and jointly to assess the risk of enteritis due to B. cereus following the consumption of buffalo mozzarella cheese. In conclusion, the results of the present study showed that the risk of poisoning by B. cereus following the consumption of this cheese was moderate.

The effect of different dietary treatments on volatile organic compounds and aromatic characteristics of buffalo Mozzarella cheese

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two dietary treatments, ryegrass hay (RH) and wrapped ryegrass silage (WRS) on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of buffalo Mozzarella cheese. The primary data were collected from 40 female buffaloes. Twenty animals were fed RH, and other twenty received WRS. Volatile organic compounds were identified using a mass selective detector after extraction with a ‘purge and trap’ system and a gas chromatographic analysis. Our results showed differences in the aromatic profile of Mozzarella cheese samples obtained from buffaloes receiving different feed. In particular, 5 VOCs allowed the discrimination between cheese samples.