Ljuba Štrbac

Quality of Milk for Cheese Production on Registered Agricultural Holdings in Vojvodina

Summary Currently, milk producers in Vojvodina on registered agricultural holdings (RAHs) have great experience and knowledge in managing their farms, including primary production, processing and sales. However, for a smaller number of manufacturers, there is still room for organizational and technological improvement of production. Nowadays, goat breeding is a very important part of sustainable production, rural development, and represents a very important part of rural development and employment of people. The course of goat breeding in our country is milk-meat, where milk is usually a priority. For the successful production of cheese, the quality of raw milk plays a critical role. It affects the quality of cheese in terms of a chemical composition, microbiological quality, the presence of chemical residues and organoleptic properties. Cheese is mostly made from cow, goat and sheep milk. The valuable components of milk are proteins and fats. These can also be defined as parameters of utilization, since they indicate how much cheese can be obtained from milk. On average, cow milk contains 3.64% fat, 3.22% protein, and 8.52% non-fat dry matter (NFDM). Higher differences in milk fat content (minimum 3.25%, maximum 4.36%) were found in milk from RAHs. Recently, the production of milk with higher fat content has become important, since in Serbian milk there is not enough milk fat, so some processors are obliged to import it in the form of butter and cream. In addition to the chemical composition, the microbiological quality of milk is important to maintain successful cheese production. Regarding our findings, the standard plate count (SPC) and the somatic cell count (SCC) in samples from most RAHs did not exceed the values specified in Regulation (EC) 853/2004. Moreover, goat and sheep milk was in agreement with the technological quality of milk for cheese production, in terms of chemical composition.

Quality of Hard Cheese Made from Value Aded Organic Goat Milk

Summary Products with added value are all those products which, in addition to requirements set by laws of food safety and quality, meet the additional requirements. The added value of products resulting from its higher nutritional and commercial value and very often involve products originating from organic production or products with geographical indications. Consumer knowledge of production values has increased exponentially and has fuelled a demand for healthy, quality products such as goats’ milk and cheeses. The single most important factor affecting cheese quality and yield is the composition of the milk, particularly the concentrations of fat and casein. Nutritional value of goat cheese derives from its energy value, content of essential fatty and amino acids, the content of vitamins, minerals and its digestibility. In this paper, organic goat milk and hard goat cheese were analyzed for fatty and amino acids profile. In addition, cheese was assayed for fat, protein, moisture, total solids, Ca, P, Mg and pH. The evaluation of the cheeses was performed to establish the relationship between quality and composition of milk and cheese. Obtained values for saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid content in cheese were on average 42.0, 54.4, and 3.60 %, respectively. Levels of glutamic, aspartic acid, lysine and leucine significantly increased in cheese comparing with milk samples. Mean values for fat in dry matter in cheese was 47.1 %, while for pH this value amounted 5:55.

Selection criteria in relation to pork carcasses quality.

The paper presents the effect of various selection criteria (Landrace, Yorkshire - productive dairy breed and Hampshire - terminal) on the carcasses quality, as well as differences between sex in regard to distribution of meat, fat and bones. The study included 210 randomly selected pig carcasses at commercial farms, classified by breed and sex. Carcass dissection was carried out according to the model of EU 1992. The percentage of meat in fertile breeds carcasses was 2.04% lower (55.02%), compared to the terminal breed (57.06%). Comparing the proportion of muscle tissue in carcasses of male and female animals, there was determined a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Within the breeds there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in percentage of meat between two fertile breeds (Landrace and Yorkshire). A statistically significant difference (P<0.05) between fertile and terminal Hampshire breeds was determined. Sex and breed had highly significant impact on the amount of meat in the carcasses. Also, sex had a significantly influenced the amount of fat, while breed significantly influenced the amount of bone in carcasses. The largest and most important part of the carcass is a leg with a share of 29.17% in male and 29.17% in female animals. Data collection on the slaughter line as well as knowledge of slaughterhouses properties are basic conditions for work on genetic improvement of pig carcass quality. Quality rating of pigs on the slaughter line and price formation is a prerequisite for establishing trust between farmers and slaughterhouses. Mutual interest lies also in profit, so farmers will earn more carrying out meatiness selection while slaughterhouses will buy cattle with more meat of optimal quality.