Learning objectives
D1 – KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Know Parmigiano Reggiano production system
2. Know the chemical, physico-chemical and processing characteristics of milk
3. Describe technologies used in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making.
4. Describe the expertisation of Parmigiano Reggiano wheels and the different categories of this cheese.
D2 – APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Understand, microbial, enzymatic and physico-chemical mechanisms involved in milk processing to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
D3 – MAKING JUDGEMENTS
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Evaluate the processing quality of Parmigiano Reggiano evaluating the marks imprinted on the wheel;
2. Express judgements during the description of process parameters in the transformation of milk to Parmigiano Reggiano.
D4 – COMMUNICATION SKILLS
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Express clearly and with appropriate terminology during description of concepts concerning the quality of milk and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
2. Properly describe Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making with correct technical language;
D5 – LEARNING SKILLS
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Learn concepts relative to the processing of milk to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese;
2. Understand the impact of the various technological phases on Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making.
Prerequisites
no
Course unit content
Historical, economic, regulatory aspects. The feeding of cattle for Parmigiano Reggiano. Milk for Parmigiano Reggiano. Casein micelles and coagulation, somatic cells. Technology of processing, in the detail. The ripening. Characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano and cheese yield. Expertisation, classifications and main defects. The Italian and foreign competitors. Parmigiano Reggiano from only one breed. Dairy cow breeding.
Full programme
INTRODUCTION: Description of the course structure. HISTORICAL, ECONOMIC, REGULATORY ASPECTS: General characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano; Historical notes, the DOP, the Parmigiano Reggiano production area and the production Regulations; The Consortium, the control body and their functions; economic data and management aspects of dairies and ripeners. FEEDING AND NUTRITION OF COWS FOR PARMIGIANO REGGIANO PRODUCTION: The feeding needs of the animal; Forage and concentrated foods; General Rationing Principles (PR DOP Regulations: Third Part); Concept of silage and spore cycle; Unifeed technique. MILK FOR PARMIGIANO REGGIANO: Composition of milk: protein, fat, lactose; casein and whey proteins; casein micelles; physico-chemical properties of milk; Milk Quality Payment; Microbial charge, EU limit and Rolling geometric average. CASEIN MICELLES AND COAGULATION, SOMATIC CELLS: The structure of casein micelles; acid coagulation, rennet coagulation, syneresis; rennet-coagulation properties and lactodynamography; somatic cells, EU limit and geometric rolling average. TECHNOLOGY OF PROCESSING: Collection in dairy and milk concept of "unique collection"; Natural outcrop (creaming) of milk, characteristics "low fat milk"; The vat milk and fat/casein ratio; The starter whey, its main roles, the different modes of production; Rennet and coagulation; Cutting of the curd and size of the granules; The cooking; "Passivation of the granules", risks of too high T; Extraction; put into the mould; turning of the wheel; Acidification in the first 24-48 hours; Salting: its main roles, brines and their typologies; hyposodic Parmigiano Reggiano. THE RIPENING, THE CHARACTERISTICS AND THE CHEESE YIELD: The ripening: proteolysis and lipolysis; the care of the warehouses; PR key points and PR changes during time; PR characteristics: nutritional and functional properties, mean composition and sensory properties; The yield in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese: calculation and prediction. EXPERTISATION, CLASSIFICATIONS AND MAIN DEFECTS: The quality expertisation carried out by the Consortium and its instruments; Marks of origin and selection marks; Main classification; Grated and portioned PR: brands and legislative aspects; Main defects of Parmigiano Reggiano. THE ITALIAN AND FOREIGN COMPETITORS: Grana Padano: main differences with the PR; Other national non-PDO hard cheeses: Bagoss, Gran Speciale, Gran Biraghi; Hard cheeses made with vegetable rennet; Foreign competitors: Gran Moravia, Parmesan, Reggianito; Analysis of the Consortium to evidence commercial frauds. PARMIGIANO REGGIANO FROM ONLY ONE BREED: Parmigiano Reggiano from Reggiana breed; The disolabruna; Parmigiano Reggiano of Modenese breed; The milk of Jersey. DAIRY COW BREEDING: Fecondation, parturition, lactation, dry; Breeds and main types of housing (stall) in the PR area; milking; types of milking.
Bibliography
SLIDES SHOWN AT LESSON: Students can find the pdf files of lessons on the Elly platform.
Bittante G., Andrighetto I., Ramanzin M. “Tecniche di produzione animale” Liviana Editrice, Padova.
Monetti P.G.: Allevamento dei bovini e dei suini. Cristiano Giraldi Ed., Città di Castello (PG), 2001.
Alais C.: Scienza del latte - principi di tecnologia del latte e derivati. Ed. Tecniche Nuove, Milano, 1984.
Teaching methods
During the lectures in the classroom, with the use of audio-visual facilities, the regulatory, economic, technological characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, the breeding of dairy cows and the characteristics of milk will be presented. The course will be supported by visits to farms in order to make it clear to the student, through a direct experience in the field, the theoretical concepts discussed in the classroom.
Assessment methods and criteria
The assessment of expected learning results described in D1 and parts of those described in D2, D3, D4 and D5, is carried out by a written exam, followed by a brief oral exam.
The written exam consists of 6 open questions taken randomly from a list of about 80 questions that were previously provided to the students.
Answers will have to be exhaustive and not too schematic, but not out of the question.
Each question answered correctly will give 5 points, while each question that is answered incompletely or incorrectly from 1 to 4 points, depending on the degree of correctness and/or completeness.
Any missing or totally incorrect answer will be awarded 0 points.
After the correction of the written exam, the student who passed it with a vote of at least 18 or above, will support a small oral discussion (often just after the script, but, at the student's request, also on another date), which will focus mainly on the questions of the written exam, especially those he or she has responded incorrectly or did not respond completely correctly. After, there will be made a further question on topics from the eighty questions list. If this is answered correctly, the exam will be considered passed, otherwise some additional questions will be asked. In no case will the oral interview lower the vote, but the final vote will be greater than or equal to that of the written exam.
For students with DSA, appropriate compensatory and dispensatory measures will be implemented.
Other information
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