The milk fingerprint of Sardinian dairy sheep: quality and yield of milk used for Pecorino Romano P.D.O. cheese production on population-based 5-year survey

Abstract

The Pecorino Romano P.D.O. is the main sheep cheese produced in Italy and the first one among the sheep cheeses, in terms of quality and value, exported from the European Union. About half of the sheep milk produced in Italy is processed into this type of cheese by 36 dairies belonging to the Pecorino Romano Consortium. Eight million records of biweekly analyses of milk collected within a 5-year period from farms delivering their milk to the aforementioned consortium were analysed in this work. Monthly evolution curves were plotted for fat, protein, lactose, pH, NaCl, SCC, bacterial load and principal fatty acids (FAs). Due to the seasonal production systems of Sardinian sheep, monthly evolution of milk fat and protein contents and cheese yield are directly linked to the lactation curve pattern and the pastures quantity and quality. Also, the FA profile of milk is affected by grass availability and quality in both early and mid-lactation, whereas it is influenced by the energy balance of ewes in late lactation. Cheese yield equation was computed based on fat and protein contents and considering the variability among dairies in technological processes used in transforming Sarda sheep milk to Pecorino Romano P.D.O. These data could be a relevant basis to set-up future grids of milk payments based on quality standards. Moreover, they could be useful to formulate administrative policies on the dairy sector with the prospective to improve milk quality of Sardinian sheep destined to the Pecorino Romano production. HIGHLIGHTSThe yield of Pecorino Romano P.D.O. (PR) is linked to fat and protein content of milk and it depends on the industrial processes adopted by each dairy Monthly variation of milk composition is of high interest for the PR producers to program the output of their milk-processing plans The content and monthly evolutions of principal fatty acids are important to determine the nutritional and technological properties of PR ARTICLE HISTORY

Genetic Variability and Population Structure of the Tunisian Sicilo-Sarde Dairy Sheep Breed Inferred from Microsatellites Analysis

“…Following terrestrial and Mediterranean roads, the Neolithic culture characterized by sheep and goat milk consumption become widespread and reached the west Mediterranean basin in the seventh millennium [ 3 , 4 ]. Since that time and until today, dairy sheep farming has been concentrated in the Mediterranean basin [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Nowadays, this region encloses 41.4% of dairy ewes, producing approximately 41.4% of the entire world’s sheep milk [ 7 ].…”

“…Since that time and until today, dairy sheep farming has been concentrated in the Mediterranean basin [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Nowadays, this region encloses 41.4% of dairy ewes, producing approximately 41.4% of the entire world’s sheep milk [ 7 ]. Currently, Southern Europe has many specialized dairy sheep breeds.…”

“…This dairy sheep breed, called Sicilo-Sarde, was developed in Northern Tunisia by a long-term crossing between two Italian dairy sheep breeds: Sarda originated from Sardinia and Comisana from Sicilia [ 8 ], hence the name Sicilo-Sarde. Since the creation of this breed in the northern sub-humid region of Tunisia, specifically in the Beja and Bizerte regions, dairy sheep farms remain on the hills and in the plains of northern Tunisia ( Figure 1 ), with a semi-extensive breeding system still used today, with similar climatic conditions to that of most dairy sheep farms in Sardinia [ 7 ]. However, this dairy breed has shown its adaptability to the warmer and dried Tunisian summer.…”

Effect of Dams and Suckling Lamb Feeding Systems on the Fatty Acid Composition of Suckling Lamb Meat

“…In addition, an increase in VA and RA has been also detected in lambs from pasture-fed mothers. These differences are partly related to maternal milk FA composition (Table 2), and they depend on the transfer from grass to milk [69], then to the meat of suckling animals, of the compounds beneficial for human health. Plants are the primary source of essential PUFAn3, especially ALA, which is partly biohydrogenated into VA in the rumen and then secreted into milk and partially converted into c9,t11-CLA in the mammary tissue by the action on VA by stearoyl-CoA desaturase [75].…”

“…In addition, an increase in VA and RA has been also detected in lambs from pasture-fed mothers. These differences are partly related to maternal milk FA composition ( Table 2 ), and they depend on the transfer from grass to milk [ 69 ], then to the meat of suckling animals, of the compounds beneficial for human health.…”