Chemical parameters of the non-volatile fraction of ripened Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

The non-volatile fraction of 20 ripened Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese samples of certified origin was studied to establish quality standards for this typical Italian product. The influence of manufacturing dairy farm, season and orographic zone of cheese production on chemical parameters was taken into account. At a parity of ripening time (24 months), cheese samples produced in different seasons showed significant differences with regard to moisture content, nitrogen fractions, free amino acids such as aspartic and glutamic acids, serine, arginine and lysine and water soluble organic acids such as acetic and L-lactic acid. The different dairy farms had less influence on the physicochemical parameters of the ripened samples. No significant difference was observed between the cheeses produced in different orographic zones.