Autochthonous Natural Starter Cultures: A Chance to Preserve Biodiversity and Quality of Pecorino Romano PDO Cheese

Luigi Chessa, Antonio Paba, Elisabetta Daga, Ilaria Dupré, Carlo Piga, Riccardo Di Salvo, Martino Mura, Margherita Addis and Roberta Comunian
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Luigi Chessa: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Antonio Paba: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Elisabetta Daga: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Ilaria Dupré: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Carlo Piga: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Riccardo Di Salvo: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Martino Mura: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Margherita Addis: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Roberta Comunian: Agris Sardegna, Agenzia Regionale per la Ricerca in Agricoltura, Associated Member of the JRU MIRRI-IT, Loc. Bonassai, SS291 km 18.600, 07100 Sassari, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: During Pecorino Romano PDO cheese production, scotta (residual whey from ricotta cheese manufacturing) or siero (whey) can be integrated with autochthonous starters, natural and composed of an indefinite number of species and strains, or commercial selected starters to obtain scotta/siero-innesto . In this study, three biodiverse autochthonous natural starter cultures (SR30, SR56, and SR63) belonging to the Agris Sardegna BNSS microbial collection, composed of different strains belonging to the species Streptococcus thermophilus , Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus , Enterococcus faecium , and Limosilactobacillus reuteri were lyophilized and combined into two starter mixes (A and B). The scotta/siero-innesto and the Pecorino Romano obtained using natural starters were compared with those obtained using commercial selected starters during three seasons of the cheesemaking campaign. Different pH and microbial compositions for the scotta/siero-innesto obtained using natural or commercial starters were found, attributable to their different biodiversity. The six-month-ripened cheese microbiota was influenced mostly by the season of cheesemaking, whereas physico-chemical and sensory analyses did not highlight differences among the products obtained. In general, no effect attributable to the type of scotta/siero-innesto used was observed, allowing the conclusion that natural starter cultures can be used also in industrial-scale production, ensuring high stability in the technological performances and preserving the microbial, chemical, and sensory characteristics of Pecorino Romano PDO cheese.

Keywords: natural culture; selected starter; technological performances standardisation; cheese microbiology; physico-chemical characteristics; sensory analyses; Pecorino Romano PDO cheese; microbial collection; microbial biodiversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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