The Quality of Five Natural, Historical Italian Cheeses Produced in Different Months: Gross Composition, Fat-Soluble Vitamins, Fatty Acids, Total Phenols, Antioxidant Capacity, and Health Index

Abstract

Five natural historic cheeses of Southern Italy were investigated—Caciocavallo Palermitano (CP), Casizolu del Montiferru (CdM), Vastedda della Valle del Belìce (VVB), Pecorino Siciliano (PS), and Caprino Nicastrese (CN)—which are produced with raw milk and with traditional techniques and tools, from autochthonous breeds reared under an extensive system. The effects of the month of production on gross composition, MUFA, PUFA, PUFA-ω6, PUFA-ω3, α-tocopherol, retinol, cholesterol, TPC, TEAC, and GHIC were evaluated. In CP, CLA, TPC, and GHIC were higher in April than in February. CdM showed higher values in terms of fat, saturated fatty acids, PUFA-ω3, α-tocopherol, TEAC, and GHIC in May than in February and September, while low values in terms of protein, moisture, and CLA were found. In VVB, MUFA, PUFA-ω6, and α-tocopherol increased in June compared with April; conversely, protein, FRAP, and TEAC were higher in April. In PS, protein, CLA, PUFA, PUFA-ω3, α-tocopherol, and GHIC increased in May compared with January; on the contrary, moisture, NaCl, and TEAC showed high values in January. CN showed higher values in terms of PUFA, PUFA-ω6, PUFA-ω3, TPC, TEAC, and GHIC in April and June compared with January. It is shown that each cheese is unique and closely linked to the production area. Cheeses produced in the spring months showed a high nutritional quality due to the greatest presence of healthy compounds originating from an extensive feeding system.

Feeding Dairy Ewes with Fresh or Dehydrated Sulla (Sulla coronarium L.) Forage. 2. Effects on Cheese Enrichment in Bioactive Molecules

“…This trend is in accordance with Giorgio et al [ 53 ] who proposed the GHIC that, associating the contribution of FA (RA, total PUFA and n-3 PUFA), polyphenols and antioxidant capacity (TEAC), is able to score specifically the health-promoting value of cheeses obtained from animals fed pasture or fresh forage. The GHIC values of cheeses were above the range (16–23) recorded for sheep cheeses by Di Trana et al [ 72 ], with exception of that of SHL cheeses, confirming the fundamental role of fresh forage-based diets to enhance the health properties of cheeses.…”

Compositional Changes in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Used as a Medium for Cheese Preservation

“…Considering that the Mediterranean diet is characterized by moderate daily consumption of dairy products whose lipid fraction is mostly consisted of saturated fatty acids [ 3 ], consumption of products containing cheese immersed in EVOO could contribute to the achievement of an optimal ratio of saturation in the diet. Besides saturated fatty acids, cheese consists of proteins, principally caseins [ 7 ]. The residual liquid remaining after the milk coagulation during the cheese-making process is called whey [ 1 ].…”

An Insight into Goat Cheese: The Tales of Artisanal and Industrial Gidotyri Microbiota

“…Nevertheless, artisanal cheeses are gaining increasing interest from consumers. As no consensus definition exists, artisanal cheeses are generally considered to be hand-made cheeses produced using traditional cheese-making practices from cow, sheep and/or goat milk (preferably raw) on-farm or in small-scale dairies interlinked to a geographical region and culture [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The traditionally produced artisanal cheeses are characterized by increased microbial diversity associated with superior flavor, aroma and texture, while the standardized manufacturing of industrial cheeses leads to a less complex microbiota in an attempt to improve product safety at the expense of sensorial quality [ 3 ].…”

“…Goat cheese is an underestimated food with high nutritional value and a promising potential as a functional food for human nutrition [ 29 , 30 , 31 ] with Caciotta and Caprino Nicastrese goat cheeses as characteristic examples [ 1 , 32 ]. Within the EU, France followed by Spain and Greece were listed among the 10 top goat cheese producers representing on average 17.3%, 7% and 7.6% of global production for the period 2015–2017, respectively, despite their collective average goat milk production being only 7.9% for the same period [ 33 ].…”