Proteolysis indices related to cheese ripening and typicalness in PDO Grana Padano cheese

New insight on crystal and spot development in hard and extra-hard cheeses: Association of spots with incomplete aggregation of curd granules

“…The pattern of FAA was determined on the various cheese portions (including specks and spots) using the method described by Masotti et al (2010). Briefly, the cheese portion was solubilized with sodium citrate, homogenized, and then deproteinized with sulfosalicylic acid.…”

“…In fact, casein breakdown progressively produces large and medium peptides, followed by small peptides and free amino acids (FAA). Because FAA are rather stable, they tend to accumulate with the ripening time and may reach up to 20 to 24% on a cheese protein basis in 10-to 12-mo-old extra-hard cheeses (Masotti et al, 2010). Proteinases and peptidases that catalyze proteolysis in cheese originate from different sources, namely milk, rennet, and starter and nonstarter lactic acid bacteria (LAB).…”

Ion-Exchange Chromatographic Method for the Determination of the Free Amino Acid Composition of Cheese and Other Dairy Products: an Inter-Laboratory Validation Study

“…Several Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano (Resmini et al 1985), Mahon (Polo et al 1985), Grana Padano (Resmini et al 1993;Cattaneo et al 2008;Masotti et al 2010), Emmentaler (Krause et al 1997), Montasio (Innocente 1997), Gruyère and Sbrinz (Bütikofer and Fuchs 1997), and Manchego (Poveda et al 2004), have been shown to have characteristic FAA patterns. The common rationale behind this fact is that all these cheeses (1) are made from raw milk produced in a restricted geographical area, (2) following a well-defined traditional manufacturing process, and (3) using a natural whey culture daily prepared from the previous cheesemaking.…”

“…As a result, for each cheese type, the proteolytic pathways occurring during ripening are repeatable and hence the resulting FAA pattern as well is repeatable and characteristic. Masotti et al (2010) determined the FAA pattern of 150 samples of Grana Padano PDO cheese demonstrating that, on the basis of the relative amount of a selected group of FAAs, it is possible to recognize the authentic PDO cheeses from imitation cheeses with high statistical reliability (p < 0.01). Due to the power of this analytical approach as a tool for recognizing the authentic PDO cheeses, the respective FAA patterns have been introduced into the product specification among the characteristic traits for both Grana Padano (European Commission 2011a) and Parmigiano-Reggiano (European Commission 2011b).…”

The effect of milk collection and storage conditions on the final quality of Trentingrana cheese: Sensory and instrumental evaluation

“…To examine the effect of DMC and SMC on cheese quality, we measured unspecific (overall) sensory differences between samples using a triangle test carried out by a trained panel (Meilgaard, Civille, & Carr, 1999), sensory quality scores assigned by an expert panel as recommended for PDO product certification (Pérez Elortondo et al, 2007), changes in cheese colour using a colorimeter, an aspect not widely investigated in studies on different storage conditions (Bunka, Stetina, & Hrabe, 2008), physicochemical parameters related to basic composition, the volatile compound profile (Marilley & Casey, 2004;McSweeney & Sousa, 2000) that plays a fundamental role in cheese odour and flavour (Curioni & Bosset, 2002), and finally, proteolytic activity by measuring the soluble nitrogen fraction (Masotti, Hogenboom, Rosi, De Noni, & Pellegrino, 2010), since proteolysis in this prolonged ripening extra-hard cheese strongly contributes to flavour and taste (Panari, Mariani, Summer, Guidetti, & Pecorari, 2003).…”