title: Characterization of two Agrostis-Festuca alpine pastures and their influence on cheese composition.
abstract: Recently, there has been a renewed interest in mountain farming, and several studies have been carried out on milk and cheese obtained in the unique environmental conditions of the Alps, a 1300 km mountain chain, located in the north of Italy. In this paper, the influence, on some cheese constituents, of two very similar mountain grasslands, both dominated by Festuca - Agrostis , was investigated. The two pastures were located in the same area in the southeastern Italian alpine region and differed in sunshine orientation and exposure. Milk obtained from cows grazing on these pastures was used to produce a semi-hard traditional cheese. The differences observed between the cheeses of the two areas for both some hydrocarbons (1-phytene and 2-phytene) and trans-fatty acids can be explained by a different rumen environment created by the botanical composition of the two pastures. The multidisciplinary approach can be considered a successful strategy, suitable for studying markers of authenticity.
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Centro di Ricerca per le Produzioni Foraggere e Lattiero-Casearie, Via A. Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Povolo
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pelizzola
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Passolungo
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biazzi
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tava
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Contarini
mesh_terms: D031703:Agrostis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D000531:Altitude; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D031751:Festuca / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007774:Lactation; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D010831:Phytanic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D013472:Sunlight; D044242:Trans Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D044242:Trans Fatty Acids; D010831:Phytanic Acid; C045824:phytenic acid