Segmentation of Parmigiano Reggiano dairies according to cheese-making technology and relationships with the aspect of the cheese curd surface at the moment of its extraction from the cheese vat

Abstract

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese dairies develop specific cheese-making strategies to adapt the variable characteristics of raw, not standardized milk to the final goal of obtaining cheese consistent with the standard. Analyzing 1,175 cheese-making reports from 30 out of 383 dairies associated with the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium in 2010 and 2011, 4 groups of Parmigiano Reggiano dairies using specific cheese-making technologies were discriminated by means of multiple linear discriminant analysis. Cheese makers manage cheese-making practices to obtain curd with different roughness properties, classified according to jargon words such as "rigata" and "giusta" or synonyms, because they believe that the roughness of the cheese curd surface immediately after the extraction from the vat is associated with different whey-draining properties and to the final outcome of the cheese. The aspect of the surfaces of the curds produced by the 4 groups of dairies was different according to the technology applied by each group. Cutting of the coagulum when it is still soft for a longer time and faster cooking of the cheese curd grains were associated with a less rough appearance of the surface of the curd, whereas under the opposite conditions, cutting the coagulum when it is firm for a shorter time, led to a curd with a rougher surface. These findings partially support the traditional feeling of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese makers, who consider the curd surface aspect one of the main drivers for their technological choices; to date, however, no data are provided about correlation between the aspect of the curd and the quality of the ripened cheese. If a sufficiently strong correlation could be demonstrated by the future development of the research, the operational effectiveness of Parmigiano Reggiano dairies will be able to largely benefit from the availability of sound and early process markers.

Effect of Dairy, Season, and Sampling Position on Physical Properties of Trentingrana Cheese: Application of an LMM-ASCA Model

“…Differences between dairy factories belonging to the same consortium have already been detected by Franceschi et al [ 12 ] for the efficiency of the process, and Mucchetti et al [ 7 ] noticed the effect of slight variation inside the production process of extra-hard cheese as an important source of variation for the appearance and the structure of the cheese; our research also highlighted differences in the physical properties of the cheese wheels that can be used as quality indices.…”

“…The quality of the raw milk (casein content, casein micelle structure, and integrity) [ 5 , 6 ] and conditions of the cheese-making process (for example, pre-acidification of milk, type and quantity of rennet, cooking temperature, acidification of the cheese mass, and temperature and humidity during seasoning) [ 7 ] are fundamental factors that influence the textural and colorimetric properties of cheese [ 8 ].…”

Whey starter addition during maturation of evening milk: effects on some characteristics of cheese milk and Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese

“…In particular, this was true for those parameters (amount of natural whey starter added, gelation and cooking temperature, rennet powder added, cutting time, drain under (Mucchettti et al 2014). Table 4 presents the thermophilic and mesophilic LAB count of the cheeses at 48 h and after 7, 12, and 22 months of ripening.…”

“…Its final acidity ranges from 25 to 30°SH. 50 mL −1 (Sacchetti and Zambonelli 1963;Reverberi et al 2009;Mucchettti et al 2014). Whey starter addition increases milk acidity and enriches the milk with live cells, represented mainly by thermophilic lactic acid bacteria, symbolized as starter lactic acid bacteria (SLAB), represented by thermophilic and homofermentative species, as Lactobacillus helveticus and L. delbrueckii ssp.…”

Proteomics Analysis in Dairy Products: Cheese, a Review

“…SLAB convert lactose into lactic acid that lowers the pH, affecting texture, moisture content and the subsequent caseins coagulation, which is carried out with animal rennet in a copper vat with a capacity of about 1000 L of milk. After coagulum formation and cutting, curd grain is cooked at temperature of approximately 55-56 • C, and the rest of the cooked curd remains under the hot whey for about 60 min [47][48][49]. Cheese wheels are salted by immersion in brine for approximately 20 days and, as a consequence, large gradients of salt and moisture develop within the cheese structure [50].…”