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Article

Impact of Extending Hard-Cheese Ripening: A Multiparameter Characterization of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Ripened up to 50 Months

Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2020, 9(3), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9030268
Received: 31 January 2020 / Revised: 18 February 2020 / Accepted: 26 February 2020 / Published: 2 March 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cheese and Whey)
Extending ripening of hard cheeses well beyond the traditional ripening period is becoming increasingly popular, although little is known about the actual evolution of their characteristics. The present work aimed at investigating selected traits of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese ripened for 12, 18, 24, 30, 40 and 50 months. Two cheeses per each ripening period were sampled. Although moisture constantly decreased and was close to 25% in 50-month cheeses, with a parallel increase in cheese hardness, several biochemical changes occurred involving the activity of both native and microbial enzymes. Capillary electrophoresis demonstrated degradation of αs1- and β-casein, indicating residual activity of both chymosin and plasmin. Similarly, continuous release of free amino acids supported the activity of peptidases deriving from lysed bacterial cells. Volatile flavor compounds, such as short-chain fatty acids and some derived ketones, alcohols and esters, evaluated by gas chromatography with solid-phase micro-extraction, accumulated as well. Cheese microstructure was characterized by free fat trapped in irregularly shaped areas within a protein network, with native fat globules being no longer visible. This study showed for the first time that numerous biochemical and structural variations still occur in a hard cheese at up to 50 months of aging, proving that the ripening extension deserves to be highlighted to the consumer and may justify a premium price. View Full-Text
Keywords: cheese ripening; ripening extension; cheese microstructure; free amino acids; capillary electrophoresis; proteolysis; volatile compounds; confocal laser scanning microscopy cheese ripening; ripening extension; cheese microstructure; free amino acids; capillary electrophoresis; proteolysis; volatile compounds; confocal laser scanning microscopy
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MDPI and ACS Style

D’Incecco, P.; Limbo, S.; Hogenboom, J.; Rosi, V.; Gobbi, S.; Pellegrino, L. Impact of Extending Hard-Cheese Ripening: A Multiparameter Characterization of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Ripened up to 50 Months. Foods 2020, 9, 268. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9030268

AMA Style

D’Incecco P, Limbo S, Hogenboom J, Rosi V, Gobbi S, Pellegrino L. Impact of Extending Hard-Cheese Ripening: A Multiparameter Characterization of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Ripened up to 50 Months. Foods. 2020; 9(3):268. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9030268

Chicago/Turabian Style

D’Incecco, Paolo, Sara Limbo, John Hogenboom, Veronica Rosi, Serena Gobbi, and Luisa Pellegrino. 2020. "Impact of Extending Hard-Cheese Ripening: A Multiparameter Characterization of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Ripened up to 50 Months" Foods 9, no. 3: 268. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9030268

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