Biodiversity gives more flavor to mountain cheeses

In the study commissioned by Coldiretti together with Cnr and the Alto Bellunese Gal, about twenty products were analyzed and a variety of flavors, aromas and fragrances emerged that make them unique

BELLUNO. Biodiversity also affects the aromas, flavors and fragrances of raw mountain cheeses. Alpine cheeses – The molecules of taste is the name of the scientific project activated as part of the Interreg VA Italy-Austria – CLLD Dolomiti Live call, which investigated the very close link between mountain dairy products and their territory of origin. . The specific objective was to characterize from a chemical point of view the cheeses of the mountain huts and small dairies of the Upper Bellunese and East Tyrol, to uniquely define their specificities, underlining their organoleptic and nutritional peculiarities and defining protocols to verify their uniqueness. , traceability and authenticity.

In the summers of 2018, 2019 and 2020, CNR-ISP researchers analyzed 26 types of different cheeses (fresh, medium, extra-aged, smoked, spiced with chives, herbs or cumin) made with cow’s and goat’s milk from 16 Belluno mountain huts. Processing the data led to the identification of over 150 volatile aromatic compounds. Volatile aromatic compounds, or aromas, are perceived – like odors – through the sense of smell. When we eat, the sense of smell works in synergy with the organ of taste, and the aromas therefore complete the sensation of flavor that we experience when tasting this or that cheese. Specifically, it is the set of compounds present in each cheese that determines its aromatic profile, and therefore its flavor.

«What emerged from the analysis born from the separation of all the substances», Giulio Cozzi of Cnr explains, «is a complexity of the components of the cheeses. There are many substances that characterize them for aromas, flavors and fragrances. These are substances produced by yeasts, bacteria, biochemical processes which then lead to the final product which is cheese. And each of the aromas and flavors derives from the flora present around the malga, from the production season, from the biodiversity of the territory. For this reason, a malga cheese is unique for the territory in which it is born. Each product has its own chemical identity card ».

“Go to the malga because each cheese produced is a unique experience depending on the season you can taste something different”, invites the president of Coldiretti, Alessandro De Rocco. «The project has shown an extreme variability of aromas and flavors of cheeses, because each valley has its own peculiarities, each environment has its flora, each herdsman has his own way of working. Passing through the malghe after a month or years, the experience with cheese will always be different and this gives an added value ».

However, the work did not stop only at the analysis of the cheeses, but photos, videos of the areas and the activity of the individual herdsman were collected, and the methods of processing raw milk. And all this then merged into a website “lamalgacruda.com” where it is possible to find the characteristics of the individual huts involved in the project, the results of the study and also the aromatic characteristics of the cheeses produced, in a sort of card that can be used also on a tourist level. In fact, DMO itself is taking an interest in the study in order to include it in the Route of cheeses and flavors, as explained by Stefano Casangrande of the DMA. «This study is important because it aims to enhance the food and wine experience which is still part of the tourist route that is increasingly requested today. The final intent, in fact, is to create, together with Coldiretti, experiential tourist packages to live in our territory ».

«The huts are an inestimable heritage», says Simone Deola provincial councilor delegated to agriculture. «Our biodiversity is also reflected in the products that acquire a different flavor and fragrance depending on the territory in which they are born. And for this we must focus on these elements, without forgetting the difficulty that the dairy sector is currently experiencing due to the increase in the prices of large retailers ».

Provincial councilor Franco De Bon also applauded the initiative precisely to enhance the territory and its peculiarities, reiterating the need to preserve biodiversity also through wildlife containment plans.