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.
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.
Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; Centro Multidisciplinare Interdipartimentale Lattiero Caseario, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: germano.mucchetti@unipr.it.
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Mucchetti
Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; Centro Multidisciplinare Interdipartimentale Lattiero Caseario, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parma, Italy.
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Gatti
Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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Nocetti
Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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Reverberi
Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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Bianchi
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy.
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Galati
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy.
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Petroni
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D003612:Dairying; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005524:Food Technology / Q000379:methods*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese-making technology; cheese curd surface aspect; dairies segmentation