Journal of Food and Nutrition Research (ISSN 1336-8672) Vol. 55, 2016, No. 3, pp. 256–262 Nutritional composition of four commercial cheeses made with buffalo milk MINA MARTINI – IOLANDA ALTOMONTE – AMANDA MARILIA DA SILVA Sant’ANA – FEDERICA SALARI Summary This paper compares the nutritional characteristics of four commercial cheeses made from the same buffalo milk using different production processes. Four subsequent cheese-making processes were made over a period of one month by a cheese company in Italy. For each cheese-making from the same bulk buffalo milk, four different cheeses were made: mozzarella, caciotta, capriccio and Blu del Granduca. All the samples were analysed in terms of determination of chemical composition and fatty acid profile. The manufacturing process affected the nutritional and health cha- racteristics of the cheeses. The cheese-making process led to a lower retention of calcium in mozzarella, and a higher nitrogen content in dry matter. In addition, the cheese-making process and ripening influenced the fatty acid profiles, and modified various atherogenic (C12:0 and C14:0) and beneficial fatty acids (C18:3 n-3, cis-9,trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid, C20:5 and C20:6). Despite the higher fat on wet basis, the ripened cheeses, in particular the Blu cheese, showed a healthier fatty acid profile than mozzarella. Keywords buffalo cheese; nutritional composition; fatty acids Cheese is a popular food, a good source of The protein percentage in buffalo milk is also nutrients and is generally considered as part of relatively high compared to cows’ milk (4.7 % vs a healthy diet. Cheese is classified according to 3.3 %) and makes buffalo milk a source of good the type of coagulation, curd consistency, fat con- quality protein. In Italy, buffaloes are mainly tent, time of ripening and type of milk used (cows’, reared for the production of mozzarella cheese [3] ewes’, buffalo, goats’ milk). The type of milk gives and Italy is the world’s second largest producer of the cheese different nutritional and organoleptic buffalo cheese [2]. Although traditional mozza- properties. In turn, the different levels of suscep- rella is well known, hard and semi-hard cheeses tibility of these milks to the cheese-making process made from buffalo milk are not so common. and the various steps in the manufacturing process The aim of this paper was to compare the nu- (coagulation, acidification, grain draining, form- tritional characteristics of four commercial cheeses ing, pressing, salting and ripening) affect the cha- obtained by different manufacturing processes racteristics of the final products [1]. from the same buffalo milk. Buffalo milk makes up over 12 % of milk production worldwide [2]. This milk is rich in fat (about 8 %), which is one of the main milk MATERIAL AND METHODS nutrients and is responsible for the high energy of buffalo milk. Fat is also involved in the cheese Cheese-making and samplings yield, firmness and flavour of dairy products. Four different subsequent manufacturing Mina Martini, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy; Interdepartmental Research Center “Nutraceuticals and Food for Health”, via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy. Iolanda Altomonte, Federica Salari, Interdepartmental Centre of Agro-Environmental Research “Enrico Avanzi”, University of Pisa, via Vecchia di Marina 6, 56122 S. Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy. Amanda Marilia da Silva Sant’Ana, Department of Food Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba, Campus Universitário I s/n, PB 58051-900 João Pessoa, Brazil. Correspondence author: Mina Martini, e-mail: [email protected] 256 © 2016 National Agricultural and Food Centre (Slovakia) Nutritional composition of four commercial cheeses made with buffalo milk processes were made over the period of a month 30 m × 0.25 mm; film thickness 0.25 µm). Helium by a Tuscan cheese producer (Italy) from the same was used as a carrier gas with a flow rate of bulk buffalo milk. Each process gave four differ- 1 ml·min-1. The initial oven temperature was set at ent cheeses: mozzarella, caciotta, capriccio, and 50 °C, after 5 min the temperature was increased Blu del Granduca. at a rate of 3 °C·min-1 to 140 °C and held for 2 min; Buffalo mozzarella is a fresh, soft, semi-elastic then increased by 1 °C·min-1 to 240 °C and held for textured cheese belonging to the kneaded curd 20 min. Injector and detector temperatures were family. The process of making pasta filata cheese 270 °C and 300 °C, respectively. The peak areas includes adding natural whey as a starter culture of individual fatty acids were calculated by com- and chymosin/pepsin rennet to raw milk. Clotting parison with fatty acid standard injection (Sigma takes place at 85–95 °C and then it is stretched at Aldrich Chemical, St. Louis, Missouri, USA) and 68–70 °C. quantified as a percentage of total fatty acids. Caciotta is a semi-hard semi-cooked cheese, produced from pasteurized milk. Kid goat rennet Statistical analysis paste is added as an enzymatic coagulant and com- The results were analysed by ANOVA using mercial trademark starter cultures are also includ- JMP software (SAS, Cary, North Carolina, USA). ed. After the breaking of the curd, it is partially The model contained the fixed effects of the cooked at 45 °C and then pressed. The cheese is cheese type. The effect of the sampling time on salted in brine and ripened for 25–30 days at tem- cheese composition was found to be not signifi- peratures between 12 °C and 14 °C. cant and, therefore, was excluded from the statis- Capriccio is a soft, white or yellowish cheese tical model. The significance of the differences made with pasteurized milk. Calf rennet paste is between means was evaluated by Student’s t-test added as an enzymatic coagulant and commercial considering P < 0.05 as the significance level. trademark starter cultures are also included. It is slow cooked to 42 °C, then salted by brine and aged for 30 days at 6–10 °C to form a white fungus RESULTS AND DISCUSSION crust composed of Geotrichum candidum and Peni- cillium candidum. Chemical and nutritional composition of the milk Blu del Granduca is a semi-soft cheese made and cheeses with pasteurized milk and chymosin/pepsin rennet, There were no significant differences in the using a commercial starter culture. In addition, quality of bulk milk during the period of the Penicillium roqueforti is added on the 10th day and study. Milk composition is reported as mean and the cheese is ripened for 60 days. standard deviation in Tab. 1. Our samples were taken at the time of market- The moisture in the mozzarella cheese (Tab. 2) ing for mozzarella, and at the end ripening stage was consistent with regulations for protected for other three cheeses. For each cheese manufac- designation of origin (PDO) buffalo mozza rella turing, three loaves were taken and two samplings with a maximum tolerable humidity of 65 %. were carried out on each loaf. A total of 96 sam- Mozza rella had a lower content of fat on a wet ples were taken to the laboratory under refrigera- matter basis compared to the three ripened chees- tion (below 5 °C) and then frozen (–20 °C) until es (caciotta, capriccio, Blu del Granduca). Fat on the analysis. dry matter basis did not significantly differ in the Chemical analysis and fatty acid profile of cheeses Each sample was analysed in duplicate in terms Tab. 1. Buffalo milk composition. of gross composition (total solid, fat, proteins and Content [%] ash), phosphorus [4, 5], calcium and magnesium contents [6], and fatty acid composition. Cheese Dry matter 19.4 ± 1.4 fat was extracted following Rose-Gottlieb’s refer- Fat 7.5 ± 1.0 ence method [4]. Methyl esters of fatty acids were Total nitrogen 4.5 ± 0.3 prepared using methanolic sodium methoxide Casein nitrogen 3.0 ± 0.5 according to CHRISTIE [7]. The composition of Lactose 5.0 ± 0.2 total fatty acids was determined by gas chroma- tography using a Perkin Elmer Auto System (Nor- Ash 0.8 ± 0.0 walk, Connecticut, USA) equipped with a flame Calcium 0.2 ± 0.0 ionization detector (FID) and a capillary column Phosphorus 0.2 ± 0.0 (FactorFour; Varian, Middelburg, Netherlands; Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, n = 4. 257 Martini, M. et al. J. Food Nutr. Res., Vol. 55, 2016, pp. 256–262 Tab. 2. Composition of four buffalo cheeses. Parameters Mozzarella Caciotta Capriccio Blu del Granduca SEM Moisture [g·kg-1] 575.51 A 236.75 B 219.02 B 232.11 B 37.01 Values expressed on wet basis Fat [g·kg-1] 205.53 B 385.91 A 394.52 A 374.31 A 29.69 Total nitrogen [g·kg-1] 156.16 C 219.76 AB 226.04 A 206.43 B 17.21 Ash [g·kg-1] 13.91 C 38.72 B 46.14 B 61.90 A 8.38 Calcium [g·kg-1] 3.12 C 8.20 A 9.32 A 7.05 B 0.95 Phosphorus [g·kg-1] 3.65 C 7.53 A 7.86 A 6.47 B 0.78 Magnesium [g·kg-1] 0.13 C 0.47 AB 0.57 A 0.32 B 0.12 Fat/Protein ratio 1.41 B 1.75 A 1.76 A 1.83 A 0.23 Calcium/Phosphorus ratio 0.87 B 1.10 A 1.20 A 1.11 A 0.15 Values expressed on dry matter basis Fat [g·kg-1] 504.48 506.84 505.45 489.74 56.16 Total nitrogen [g·kg-1] 365.56 A 287.82 B 288.85 B 272.03 B 38.58 Ash [g·kg-1] 33.21 C 50.73 B 58.73 B 81.45 A 10.89 Calcium [g·kg-1] 7.42 C 10.87 A 11.95 A 9.16 B 1.16 Phosphorus [g·kg-1] 8.68 B 9.94 A 10.04 A 8.32 B 0.73 Magnesium [g·kg-1] 0.32 C 0.61 AB 0.75 A 0.50 BC 0.13 Energy from fat [kJ·kg-1] 19008.49 19096.41 19042.82 18453.32 2115.84 Energy from proteins [kJ·kg-1] 6656.59 A 5243.13 B 5260.30 B 4954.24 B 702.67 Different superscript capital letters indicate statistical differences across a row at P < 0.01.