Effect of pasture versus indoor feeding systems on quality characteristics, nutritional composition, and sensory and volatile properties of full-fat Cheddar cheese

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pasture-based versus indoor total mixed ration (TMR) feeding systems on the chemical composition, quality characteristics, and sensory properties of full-fat Cheddar cheeses. Fifty-four multiparous and primiparous Friesian cows were divided into 3 groups (n = 18) for an entire lactation. Group 1 was housed indoors and fed a TMR diet of grass silage, maize silage, and concentrates; group 2 was maintained outdoors on perennial ryegrass only pasture (GRS); and group 3 was maintained outdoors on perennial ryegrass/white clover pasture (CLV). Full-fat Cheddar cheeses were manufactured in triplicate at pilot scale from each feeding system in September 2015 and were examined over a 270-d ripening period at 8°C. Pasture-derived feeding systems were shown to produce Cheddar cheeses yellower in color than that of TMR, which was positively correlated with increased cheese β-carotene content. Feeding system had a significant effect on the fatty acid composition of the cheeses. The nutritional composition of Cheddar cheese was improved through pasture-based feeding systems, with significantly lower thrombogenicity index scores and a greater than 2-fold increase in the concentration of vaccenic acid and the bioactive conjugated linoleic acid C18:2 cis-9,trans-11, whereas TMR-derived cheeses had significantly higher palmitic acid content. Fatty acid profiling of cheeses coupled with multivariate analysis showed clear separation of Cheddar cheeses derived from pasture-based diets (GRS or CLV) from that of a TMR system. Such alterations in the fatty acid profile resulted in pasture-derived cheeses having reduced hardness scores at room temperature. Feeding system and ripening time had a significant effect on the volatile profile of the Cheddar cheeses. Pasture-derived Cheddar cheeses had significantly higher concentrations of the hydrocarbon toluene, whereas TMR-derived cheese had significantly higher concentration of 2,3-butanediol. Ripening period resulted in significant alterations to cheese volatile profiles, with increases in acid-, alcohol-, aldehyde-, ester-, and terpene-based volatile compounds. This study has demonstrated the benefits of pasture-derived feeding systems for production of Cheddar cheeses with enhanced nutritional and rheological quality compared with a TMR feeding system.

Effect of pasture versus indoor feeding regimes on the yield, composition, ripening and sensory characteristics of Maasdam cheese

“…) and for Cheddar cheese (pH 5.43 at 270 days; O'Callaghan et al . ) have reported similar increasing trends for pH. Liberation of free amino acids and short‐chain peptides (McSweeney ), along with utilization of lactate by PAB, results in this increase in pH during ripening.…”

“…O'Callaghan et al . () also reported no significant influence of feeding system on pH of Cheddar cheese during ripening.…”

“…However, O'Callaghan et al . () reported a significant decrease in a* and b* values over the ripening time in Cheddar cheese. O'Callaghan et al .…”

“…Pasture‐derived cheese has been reported to contain more than twofold higher β‐carotene levels compared to those cheeses derived from TMR feeding systems (O'Callaghan et al . ), resulting in more yellow colour in the former (Carpino et al . ).…”

“…; O'Callaghan et al . ) and thereby product properties, and thus, there is a need to understand the influence of herd feeding systems on cheese properties (Christian et al . ; Amenu et al .…”