Lactiker Research Group, Department of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Leioa, Spain.
Food Res Int. 2019 Dec;126:108669. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108669. Epub 2019 Sep 10.
Mountain cheeses are characterized by their strong link to the territory and are testimonial of the cultural heritage. However, there is a lack of traceability and authenticity indicators for most mountain cheeses produced in Europe even though their terroir value is demanded by cheese-makers, consumers and regulatory bodies. The present study investigated the potential and reliability of terpenoids as traceable compounds in Idiazabal PDO cheeses made with raw milk from commercial sheep flocks grazed on lowlands or mountain grasslands. Terpenoids were analysed in individual pasture plants and ripened cheeses. Ingested diets were estimated by microscopic examination of plant residues in sheep faeces, and terpenoid composition of pastures and sheep diets were calculated from isolated plant species analysis. About 100 individual terpenoids were detected in botanical species collected from pastures and 40 compounds in mature cheeses. Important differences were found in the abundance of terpenoids identified in lowland and highland pastures mainly depending on the botanical family and the contribution of each botanical species to both type of grasslands. Estimated sheep diet composition of lowland and highland flocks was different and, in consequence, ingested terpenoids calculated from the estimated diet composition and individual plant terpene analysis were different. The multivariate approach provided robustness in the terpenoid traceability from pasture to cheese selecting individual terpenoids, particularly sesquiterpenoids such as γ-cadinene and aromadendrene, which strongly contributed to discriminate between mountain and valley cheeses. These results can help regulatory bodies to implement effective traceability and authentication procedures to identify mountain cheeses and to protect added-value dairy products.
山奶酪的特点是与产地有很强的联系，是文化遗产的见证。然而，欧洲大部分山奶酪缺乏可追溯性和真实性指标，尽管奶酪制造商、消费者和监管机构都要求其具有风土价值。本研究调查了萜类化合物作为伊达扎巴尔 PDO 奶酪（由放牧在低地或山地草原的商业绵羊群生产的生奶制成）可追溯化合物的潜力和可靠性。在个体牧场植物和成熟奶酪中分析了萜类化合物。通过检查绵羊粪便中植物残渣的显微镜检查，估计了绵羊的摄入饮食，从分离的植物物种分析中计算了牧场和绵羊饮食的萜类化合物组成。从牧场采集的植物种类中检测到约 100 种萜类化合物，成熟奶酪中有 40 种化合物。在低地和高地牧场中，萜类化合物的丰度存在重要差异，主要取决于植物科以及每种植物物种对两种类型草地的贡献。低地和高地羊群的绵羊饮食组成不同，因此，从估计的饮食组成和个体植物萜烯分析中计算出的摄入萜类化合物也不同。多元方法提供了从牧场到奶酪的萜类化合物可追溯性的稳健性，选择了个体萜类化合物，特别是倍半萜类化合物，如γ-卡烯和芳樟醇，它们强烈有助于区分山地和山谷奶酪。这些结果可以帮助监管机构实施有效的可追溯性和认证程序，以识别山奶酪并保护增值乳制品。
