No abstract

In the mountain region of Aosta Valley, NW Italy, grapevine were, in the past, traditionally grown on terraces supported by dry stone walls. Since the 1960s, terrace systems were gradually abandoned in favour of an up and down slope row orientation. Tillage and chemical weeding are common soil management techniques adopted in vineyards with high slope gradient, to maintain bare soil. Both techniques expose, to varying degrees, the soil to degradation, favouring runoff and soil losses. Although many studies have focused on the effects of soil water erosion in vineyards, there is still a gap in the evaluation of long‐term soil erosion rates in vineyards located on very steep slopes (higher than 35%). In order to evaluate long‐term soil erosion on a very steep vineyard, a study was carried out on a 44‐year‐old vineyard located at about 900 m asl. The vine rows were oriented up and down the slope, which is about 50% (29°). The inter‐row soil management of the vineyard included chemical weeding and, in the first year after plantation, the adoption of irrigation and hilling‐up/taking‐out the soil around the vines. The soil loss was determined adopting the technique of botanical benchmark. According to this methodology, the estimated total soil lost over 44 years was about 692 Mg ha−1, with average annual soil loss of 15·7 Mg ha−1 year−1, confirming that the water and management practices adopted in the vineyard, besides the high slope gradient, have played a relevant role in determining the high erosion rate. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

No abstract

Aims:  To study the evolution of rind microbial communities in Fontina PDO cheese. Methods and Results:  Four batches were examined for their surface microflora during ripening, carried out in two different maturing caves, at Ollomont and Pré‐Saint‐Didier, Aosta Valley region, Northwest of Italy. Culture‐dependent methodologies were combined with culture‐independent analysis (PCR‐DGGE). Yeasts were found to increase from 103 to 106 CFU cm−2 in 28 days, with consequent rise of surface pH, which allowed the growth of salt‐tolerant bacteria, in particular coryneforms which reached 109 CFU cm−2 at the end of 3 months. Coagulase‐negative cocci and lactic acid bacteria reached 107 CFU cm−2 in the same period. Debaryomyces hansenii and Candida sake were the species more constantly present throughout the whole maturing process. As early as after 1 day since manufacture, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus were detected on cheese rinds. Arthrobacter nicotianae, Brevibacterium casei and Corynebacterium glutamicum were found after 7–28 days. Conclusions:  According to cluster analysis of DGGE profiles, the maturing environment seemed to influence the dynamics of microbial groups on Fontina surfaces. Significance and Impact of the Study:  These results represent a first picture of micro‐organisms colonizing Fontina PDO rinds. Further studies are in progress to better understand the origin of this surface microflora and to formulate surface starters.

The contribution of milk and dairy products to daily iodine intake is high but variable in many industrialised countries. Factors that affect iodine concentrations in milk and dairy products are only poorly understood. Our aim was to: (1) assess the effect of feed iodine concentration on milk iodine by supplementing five groups of five cows each with one of five dosages from 0–2 mg iodine/kg DM; (2) quantify iodine losses during manufacturing of cheese and yogurt from milk with varying iodine concentrations and assess the effect of cellar-ripening; and (3) systematically measure iodine partitioning during heat treatment and skimming of milk. Milk iodine reached a near-steady state after 3 weeks of feeding. Median milk iodine (17–302 μg/l for 0–2 mg iodine/kg DM) increased linearly with feed iodine (R2 0·96; P < 0·001). At curd separation, 75–84 % of iodine was lost in whey. Dairy iodine increased linearly with milk iodine (semi-hard cheese: R2 0·95; P < 0·001; fresh cheese and yogurt: R2 1·00; P < 0·001), and cellar-ripening had no effect. Heat treatment had no significant effect, whereas skimming increased (P < 0·001) milk iodine concentration by only 1–2 μg/l. Mean daily intake of dairy products by Swiss adults is estimated at 213 g, which would contribute 13–52 % of the adults’ RDA for iodine if cow feed is supplemented with 0·5–2 mg iodine/kg DM. Thus, modulation of feed iodine levels can help achieve desirable iodine concentrations in milk and dairy products, and thereby optimise their contribution to human iodine nutrition to avoid both deficiency and excess.