Automatic Milking Systems in the Production of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese: Effects on the Milk Quality and on Cheese Characteristics

Piero Franceschi, Massimo Malacarne, Elena Bortolazzo, Fabio Coloretti, Paolo Formaggioni, Anna Garavaldi, Valeria Musi and Andrea Summer
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Piero Franceschi: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
Massimo Malacarne: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
Elena Bortolazzo: Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali, Viale Timavo 43/2, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Fabio Coloretti: Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Giuseppe Fanin 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Paolo Formaggioni: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy
Anna Garavaldi: Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali, Viale Timavo 43/2, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Valeria Musi: Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali, Viale Timavo 43/2, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Andrea Summer: Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, Via del Taglio 10, 43126 Parma, Italy

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: The adoption of innovative processes, such as the automatic milking system (AMS), in the production of typical PDO cheeses, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, needs to be evaluated and tested, to verify its influence on milk quality and the typicality of the product. The present research was aimed to study the effect of the introduction of the AMS on the cheesemaking characteristics of the milk and the ripening process and the sensory properties of the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese. Six cheesemaking trials were performed and, in each trial, two different separated pools of milk were submitted to the cheesemaking process in parallel, one from AMS and the other from a traditional milking parlor (TMP). AMS milk, in comparison with TMP one, showed higher content of lactose and calcium and lower contents of somatic cells, thermophilic lactic acid bacteria and chloride. Nevertheless, these changes were too small to influence the efficiency of the cheesemaking process and the cheese composition and its sensory profile. Moreover, cheeses made with AMS milk fully complied with the sensory characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese PDO, as defined by the PDO rules.

Keywords: automatic milking; Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; cheese quality; milk quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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