Macerata is the Marche’s province where there are the largest number of farms, where are reared dairy cattle, sheep and goats. The province also has the highest number of organic breeding farms. The value of provincial exports of dairy products relative to 2012 amounted to EUR 235.599, the 10,12% less than the previous year. The main country of destination of the cheese is Japan (Table 1). Imports, mainly from Germany, France and Poland, exceed 15% of the exports (ISTAT, 2013) (Table 2).
Table 1 – Value of exportation of products from Province of Macerata’s dairy industries (euro) (ISTAT, 2013)
Countries EXP2010 EXP2011 EXP2012
Japan 109.422 163.383 218.844 Ireland 2.359 2.795 3.094 Croatia 0 2.586 3.022 Switzerland 0 0 2.486 Russia 0 0 2.408 New Zealand 0 0 1.833 World 118.977 248.617 235.599
Table 2 - Value of importation of products to Province of Macerata’s dairy industries (euro) (ISTAT, 2013)
Countries IMP2010 IMP2011 IMP2012
Germany 155.880 186.645 184.292 France 308.897 144.185 46.557 Poland 0 0 33.997 Netherlands 402.558 19.034 5.609 Slovenia 0 0 3.655 Belgium 1.138 12.527 3.229 World 921.948 378.974 277.339
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The Marche’s cheese is highly appreciated for its uniqueness and quality. For the cheese production is used sheep and goat milk. Sheep farming, traditionally made up of race Vissana and Sopravvissana, has made possible a production dedicated mostly to pecorino and ricotta. One of the traditional cheeses in the province of Macerata is the Caciofiore from Sibillini Mountains. Below, we cite the main local cheeses from Macerata.
The Caciofiore from Sibillini Mountains
The Caciofiore, Slow Food product, is a historical soft cheese made from fresh milk of sheep born and raised on the pastures of the Sibillini Mountains. For the production of this cheese it is used a particular vegetable rennet: the flower of the wild thistle, the Cynara cardunculus. The tradition of using plant extracts to curdle the milk dates back to the Roman times and it was taken up by the shepherds of the Sibillini, which produced cheese from sheep milk and thistle flowers. In addition to the inherent specificity of curd, this cheese is unique also for the originality that distinguishes the complex processing technique, in full respect of the exclusive traditional recipe.
The pecorino
The pecorino cheese is made exclusively from sheep's milk, it has a cylindrical shape and its paste is white when eaten fresh.
The most appreciated pecorino is made from milk of April and May, when the pastures are rich of aromatic fresh herbs and fragrant flowers. Its taste is rude and blunt that changes depending on the time of aging and other factors of production. If consumed after a few months of aging, it has a white and compact paste, sweet-sour taste, tending to savoury, and a thin outer crust of pale yellow. At the end of aging, however, the paste is more compact and dark, slightly spicy with aroma of hazelnuts, almonds and hay; the crust is rough, solid and tending to gold. The pecorino cheese which has remained in the cellar, protected from temperature changes, for more than a year, is recognizable by the golden crust, ochre or brown; it will have a yellow-orange paste with thin reddish veins, a strong and aromatic odour, with notes of truffle and mushrooms, and spicy savoury flavour. Over
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time, to the classical production there have been added truffle, pepper, chilli variants and limited edition aged in walnut leaves.
The ricotta
The ricotta is produced mainly in the inland areas of Macerata. It is made from processing whey of other cheeses and it is prepared from cow and sheep's milk. It has a fresh taste, it is highly digestible and can be eaten on its own or as an ingredient for sweet and savory recipes. In Pieve Torina, to preserve it, there is a widespread practice of salting, so you can enjoy it even after months, eaten sliced or grated on pasta for example.
The goat cheese
The goat cheese is made from goat's milk, it has a cylindrical shape and its weight ranges between 800 grams and a kilo and a half. If it is eaten fresh, it is characterized by a soft crust; if it is seasoned, it has a harder crust and the flavor becomes more spicy.
The roads of Provincia of Macerata cheeses
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In order to taste the local cheeses, the Province of Macerata has created three itineraries that wind through the hills and countryside, promoting tourism and rural development. The streets of cheeses are the "Path of the Valleys of Chienti and Fiastrone", the "Path of Monte San Vicino" and the "Path of Sibillini Mountains” (Figure 9).
References
CLAL, 2013. Mercato Lattiero Caseario.
Gustitipicimaceratesi, 2012. La strada dei formaggi. INEA, 2012. Datawarehouse agricolo.
ISMEA, 2011. Il settore lattiero caseario in Italia: tra produzioni, consumi e prospettive. ISTAT, 2012. Il datawarehouse del Censimento Agricoltura 2010.
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2.4 Sensory characterization of typical cheeses of Marche
“Caciofiore dei Sibillini” characterization
The Centro Italiano di Analisi Sensoriale has defined the sensory identity card of "Caciofiore dei Sibillini", cheese of historical-cultural tradition of Macerata, producted with vegetable rennet. The aim of qualitative and quantitative sensory analysis is to determine the sensory characteristics of Caciofiore, highlighting the differences in cheeses made with animal or vegetable rennet and to study the influence of aging.
Materials and Methods
The executed method for the quantitative and descriptive analysis is based on international standards (UNI 10957:2003 - Sensory analysis - Methods for the definition of the sensory profile of foods and beverages and UNI 11107:2004 - Cheese - Sensory analysis - Methods for the definition of the profile).
Samples
For the analysis, 6 samples of pecorino cheese have been used (100% sheep's milk), produced with different types of rennet and different aging times (Table 1).
Table 1 – Samples of analysed cheese
N° sample Type of rennet Aging (days) Producer
1 Vegetal 5 Az. Agr. Angeli
2 Animal 5 Az. Agr. Angeli
3 Vegetal 5 Az. Agr. Di Pietroantonio
4 Animal 5 Az. Agr. Di Pietroantonio
5 Vegetal 65 Az. Agr. Angeli
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Panel
In accordance with standard UNI 10957:2003 (Sensory analysis - Methods for the definition of the sensory profile of foods and beverages), 15 subjects were selected on the basis of international standards ISO 8586-1:1993 (Sensory analysis - General guidance for the selection, training and monitoring of assessors - Part 1: selected assessors) and ISO 8586-2:2008 (Sensory analysis - General guidance for the selection, training and monitoring of assessors - Part 2: Expert sensory assessors), of which 8 professional tasters were chosen (2 men and 6 women, aged between 30 and 55 years), already trained for the sensory evaluation of dairy products.
Preparation of samples
The sub-samples of cheese used in the sessions were portioned in dimensions of 1,5 X 1,5 cm wide and 5 cm in length and deprived of the outer edge (Diagram 1 and Photo 1). The choice of the size of the sub-samples was performed to ensure a better standardization.
For submission to the tasters, each sub-sample was placed inside a transparent aroma preservation bowl of 250 cc, suitably encoded (Photo 1).
1,5 cm
Diagram 1 – Preparation of pecorino sub-samples.
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Photo 1 - Sub-sample of cheese
Presentation of samples
The tasters have performed the analysis of each sample, properly identified with an alphanumeric code in individual tasting booths (Photo 2 and 3) (ISO 8589:2007 Sensory analysis – General guidance for the design of test rooms).
The quantitative analysis was carried out with a number equal to two replicas, with sessions on different days, at the same hour of the day.
The tasters have reported their measurements on special forms, using a semi-structured linear scale for each parameter to be evaluated (Appendix 1).
For each attribute, only one reference sample was presented, indicating a high intensity, to ensure a better reliability of the response in the evaluation.
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Photo 2 – Tasting booth Photo 3 - Tasters involved in the sensory
analysis
Statistical analysis
Data were processed with the software Senstools for Windows version 3.1, by calculating for each sensory attribute: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), statistical test of multiple comparisons based on the calculation of LSD (Fischer's Least Significant Difference) and the multiple comparison on PCA samples (Principal Component Analysis).
This statistical modeling allows the comparison between a specific profile (a product) and a population, and allows to assess whether the various factors or sources of variation (samples, tasters and replicas) are significantly different from each other. The significance of the source of variation is evaluated in terms of F (through the comparison between the experimental values and tabulated values).
The parameter F is calculated as the ratio between the source of variation variance and the variance error. If for a given sensory descriptor the value of calculated F is larger than the tabulated value for α = 0,05, α = 0,01 or α = 0,001, then F is significant at the 95, 99 or 99,9%. Therefore, it can be concluded that at least one of the examined samples is different from others.
By this method, the total variability in sensory data is divided between different factors in order to assess the effect of the following variables:
- Replicas of assessors; - Assessor;
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- Samples;
- Replicas of the samples.
Results and discussion
Qualitative and quantitative analysis
Generation of descriptors
For the selection of descriptors, it has been employed the technique of guided and free profile that consists in the use of existing terminology (scientific literature) and also leaving to tasters the possibility to indicate other sensory attributes perceived in cheese samples. From the analysis of frequency citation, in which the hedonistic and irrelevant terms and quantities were deleted (eg. "Cheese flavour"), 13 words were selected: sheep's milk, fresh grass, butter, cheese crust, curd, pungent, hay, stable, sour, bitter, salty, mouth coating and persistence (Table 2).
The aim is to build a common vocabulary of sensory descriptors for each product, so that each taster can use them uniformly, during the evaluation.
Reference standards
Reference samples were prepared for all selected sensory attributes, in order to represent them in a unique way from the qualitative and quantitative point of view (Table 3). The odours were prepared on the basis of sheep's milk. The fundamental tastes have been prepared on the basis of ricotta cheese 50% fat on a dry basis.
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Table 2 - Attributes and definitions of each used sensory descriptor
ATTRIBUTE DEFINITION
FLAVOUR
1. LATTEDIPECORA/SHEEP’S MILK
Sheep’s milk odour
2. ERBA FRESCA/FRESH GRASS
Fresh grass odour
3. BURRO/BUTTER Fresh butter odour 4. CROSTADI
FORMAGGIO/CHEESE CRUST
Seasoned cheese odour
5. CAGLIATA/CURD Curd odour
6. PUNGENTE/PUNGENT Wine vinegar odour 7. FIENO/HAY Hay odour
8. STALLA/STABLE Odour of litter sheep TASTE
9. SALATO/SALTY
Gustatory sensation determined from an aqueous solution of sodium chloride
10. ACIDO/SOUR
Gustatory sensation determined from an aqueous solution of lactic acid
11. AMARO/BITTER Gustatory sensation determined from an aqueous solution of caffeine CONSISTENCY
12. MOUTH COATING Physical perception due to the soluble fat OTHERSENSATIONS
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13. PERSISTENCE
Permanence, measured in seconds, of the olfactory-gustatory sensation evaluated after expelling the sample from the oral cavity
Table 3 - Sensory attributes and reference standards
ATTRIBUTE REFERENCE
LATTEDIPECORA/SHEEP’S MILK
Raw sheep milk
ERBA FRESCA/FRESH GRASS Alcoholic extract of cis-3-hexen-1-ol in sheep milk BURRO/BUTTER Homogenized fresh butter from sheep's milk CROSTADI
FORMAGGIO/CHEESECRUST
Alcoholic extract of butyric acid in sheep's ricotta
CAGLIATA/CURD Sheep's milk curd
PUNGENTE/PUNGENT Wine vinegar added to sheep milk FIENO/HAY Hay soaked in milk of sheep STALLA/STABLE Litter soaked in milk of sheep
SALATO/SALTY Aqueous solution of sodium chloride added to the mix of ricotta ACIDO/SOUR Aqueous solution of lactic acid added to the mix of ricotta AMARO/BITTER Aqueous solution of caffeine added to the mix of ricotta MOUTH COATING Processed cheese
PERSISTENCE Permanence of the olfactory-gustatory sensation equal to or greater than 30 seconds
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