Characteristics of raw milk produced by free-stall or tie-stall cattle herds in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese production area

Abstract

Tie-stalls used to be the common type of housing system for dairy cows in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese area; however, the proportion of free-stall herds has greatly increased over the last years. The aim of this study was to compare the milk characteristics between bulk tank milk produced in free-stall and tie-stall herds, in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese production area. Fourteen free stalls and 14 tie stalls were involved in the study. Bulk tank milk samples were collected monthly from each herd over a 3-year period. The following parameters were determined for each sample: fat, crude protein, titratable acidity, total bacterial count (TBC), somatic cells (SCC), coliforms, clostridial spores and rennet coagulation properties. Milk produced by free-stall herds (F-milk) showed higher fat, protein and SCC values (3.82 vs 3.61 g.100 g −1 ; 3.45 vs 3.30 g. 100 g −1 ; 158,891 vs 426,088 cells.mL -1 , respectively) than milk collected from tie-stall herds (T-milk). The percentage of samples with optimal coagulation profiles and exceeding 100 clostridial spores.L −1 were higher in F-milk than Tmilk. F-milk proved to be more suitable for manufacturing Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese both, in terms of yield and quality, although the presence of clostridial spores should be considered, as these microorganisms are responsible for most Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese defects. Yearly and seasonal variations of milk characteristics were also analysed. During the summer, an increase in the TBC, SCC and coliforms were observed regardless of the housing system. In conclusion, besides the type of housing system, it is advisable to adopt management strategies which will reduce the negative effects on milk quality caused by the adverse climatic conditions which occur in summer in the Po Valley.

Characterisation of Formaggella della Valle di Scalve Cheese Produced from Cows Reared in Valley Floor Stall or in Mountain Pasture: Fatty Acids Profile and Sensory Properties

“…The results for cheese fatty acid profile reflected the data already found for the corresponding milks (data not shown), confirming the differences in the fatty acid profile. These are not only due to the seasonal variation [47,48], but are closely linked to feed factors. In fact, various authors [30,49] have reported a complete transfer of FA from milk to cheese; hence, their profile largely reflected the raw milk from which they were made.…”

Quantification of Cheese Yield Reduction in Manufacturing Parmigiano Reggiano from Milk with Non-Compliant Somatic Cells Count

“…During this period, the risk of milk not complying the legal limit that reaches the dairy transformation, does exist. Summer et al [6] reported that 10.71% of the samples collected from free stalls in the Parmigiano Reggiano production area (Italy), exceeded the legal limit of milk production from 2006 to 2008. This was confirmed by data of the Lombardia and Emilia Romagna Experimental Zootechnical Institute (IZSLER, Italy).…”

“…According to these results, about 10% of milk production in 2018 in these areas exceeded the 400,000 cells/mL limit [7]. These milks are mainly concentrated in the summer period [6], when the cows are subject to stress due to the hot and humid climate typical of the Po valley plain [8].…”

Factors associated with herd bulk milk composition and technological traits in the Italian dairy industry

“…Previous studies on milk technological characteristics have been carried out at individual cow level for phenotypic and genetic purposes. To our knowledge, only a few studies have investigated the variation of milk technological traits at bulk milk level using field data (De Marchi et al, 2007;Summer et al, 2014;Penasa et al, 2016), but those reports were based on small sample size or were conducted in a restricted geographical area. Milk quality payment system in Italy is mainly based on fat percentage, protein (or casein) percentage, SCC, and bacterial count, which derive from routine farm bulk milk recording.…”