Milk acidity, curd firming time, curd firmness and protein and fat losses in the Parmigiano- Reggiano cheesemaking

The cheese yield depends on the milk casein content and on the fat to casein ratio. The efficiency of the milk transformation depends on curd particles ("curd fines") that remain in the cooked whey and on the losses of fat and casein as it is

Effects of milk storage temperature at the farm on the characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese: chemical composition and proteolysis.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese whose official production protocol provides that milk cannot be stored at less than 18 °C at the farm. The possibility of refrigerating milk at the farm is highly debated, since it should allow for the limiting of bacterial growth, thus improving the quality of the cheese. The present research aimed to study the influence of storing the milk at 9 °C on the chemical composition and proteolysis during the ripening of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The experimentation considered six cheese-making trials, in which both evening and morning milks were subdivided into two parts that were maintained at 9 and 20 °C. After Parmigiano Reggiano cheese-making, one of the twin wheels obtained was analyzed after 21 months of ripening. From each cheese, two different samples were taken, one from the inner zone, and the other from the outer zone. The results of the chemical analyses evidenced that milk storage at 9 °C significantly (p ≤ 0.05) influenced fat, crude protein, soluble nitrogen and peptone nitrogen contents. Nevertheless, the differences observed with respect to the cheese obtained with milk stored under standard condition were very small and should be considered within the “normal variations” of Parmigiano Reggiano chemical characteristics

Influence of feeding flavouring-appetizing substances on activity of cows in an automatic milking system

Aim of this research was to study the effect of somatic cell count on mineral content and salt equilibria at the level of quarter milk samples. Ten Italian Friesian cows, in which two homologous quarters (front quarters in 1 cow, rear quarters in 6 cows and both rear and front quarters in 3 cows) were characterised by a milk SCC400,000 cells/mL (HC-milk), respectively, were selected. Cows were milked at quarter level during the morning milking and a single sample was collected from each selected quarter, thus, 26 quarter milk samples were collected. Compared to LC-milk, HC-milk was characterised by a lower content of phosphorus and potassium and by a higher content of both sodium and chloride. The equilibrium of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium between the colloidal and soluble phase of milk and the mineralisation degree of the casein micelles, were not different between HC and LC milk

Application of FT-IR spectroscopy to analyze casein in cow milk

AbstractInfrared spectrometry is, at present, the most frequently applied methodology for the composition analysis of milk and dairy products. The determination of fat, protein and lactose has been described during recent decades. The introduction of Fourier Transform Infra-red (FT-IR) technology in combination with the application of multi-dimensional procedures (i.e. principal component regression, partial least squares) has improved this methodology, opening new perspectives for the simultaneous and routinely determination of many new parameters such as casein, urea, specific sugars, etc.. The aim of our study was to develop on MilkoScanTM FT 120 (Foss Electric, Hillerod, Denmark) a calibration curve for the analysis of casein in cow milk and to execute a preliminary validation. The calibration curve was developed on 89 individual milk samples collected from 4 dairy herds in the Grana-Padano cheese district. In order to obtain a higher variability of milk protein content and composition, in each herd m..

Automatic Milking Systems in the Production of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese: Effects on the Milk Quality and on Cheese Characteristics

The adoption of innovative processes, such as the automatic milking system (AMS), in the production of typical PDO cheeses, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, needs to be evaluated and tested, to verify its influence on milk quality and the typicality of the product. The present research was aimed to study the effect of the introduction of the AMS on the cheesemaking characteristics of the milk and the ripening process and the sensory properties of the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese. Six cheesemaking trials were performed and, in each trial, two different separated pools of milk were submitted to the cheesemaking process in parallel, one from AMS and the other from a traditional milking parlor (TMP). AMS milk, in comparison with TMP one, showed higher content of lactose and calcium and lower contents of somatic cells, thermophilic lactic acid bacteria and chloride. Nevertheless, these changes were too small to influence the efficiency of the cheesemaking process and the cheese composition and its sensory profile. Moreover, cheeses made with AMS milk fully complied with the sensory characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese PDO, as defined by the PDO rules

Milk coagulation properties and methods of detection

ABSTRACT: One of the most crucial steps in cheesemaking is the coagulation process, and knowledge of the parameters involved in the clotting process plays an important technological role in the dairy industry. Milk of different ruminant species vary in terms of their coagulation capacities because they are influenced by the milk composition and mainly by the milk protein genetic variants. The milk coagulation capacity can be measured by means of mechanical and/or optical devices, such as Lactodynamographic Analysis and Near-Infrared and Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy