title: Composition, proteolysis, and volatile profile of Strachitunt cheese.
abstract: Strachitunt, a blue-veined Italian cheese, received the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label in 2014. Its unique technological feature is represented by the dual-curd method of production. Strachitunt is produced from raw bovine milk with or without the inoculation of natural starter cultures of lactic acid bacteria, and the addition of secondary cultures of mold spores is not permitted by the product specification. Physico-chemical properties, proteolysis, and volatile profile of Strachitunt were investigated in 10 cheese samples (ripened for 75 d) made throughout spring 2015 and provided by the main cheese maker. Overall, composition parameters showed a large variability among samples. Cheese was characterized by an acid paste (pH 5.46) and a lower extent of proteolysis compared with other blue-veined varieties. The main chemical groups of volatile organic compounds were alcohols and esters, whereas ketones represented only a minor component. The erratic adventitious contamination by mold spores of the cheese milk, the unique dual-curd method of cheese-making, and the large time variability between the piercing time and the end of ripening could be highlighted as the main causes of both the distinctive analytical fingerprint and the scarce standardization of this blue-veined cheese.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: fabio.masotti@unimi.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masotti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stuknytė
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battelli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie per la Salute, la Produzione Animale e la Sicurezza Alimentare, Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vallone
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Noni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002611:Cheese; D005511:Food Handling; D007659:Ketones; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry; D059748:Proteolysis; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
chemical_list: D007659:Ketones; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: Strachitunt cheese; dual-curd method of production; proteolysis; volatile organic compounds