Paula Toro-Mujica

Short communication: Chemical composition, fatty acid composition, and sensory characteristics of Chanco cheese from dairy cows supplemented with soybean and hydrogenated vegetable oils

Lipid supplements can be used to alter fatty acid (FA) profiles of dairy products. For Chanco cheese, however, little information is available concerning effects of lipid supplements on sensorial properties. The objective of this study was to examine effects of supplementation of dairy cow diets with soybean (SO) and hydrogenated vegetable (HVO) oils on chemical and FA composition of milk and cheese and sensory characteristics of cheese. Nine multiparous Holstein cows averaging 169±24d in milk at the beginning of the study were used in a replicated (n=3) 3×3 Latin square design that included 3 periods of 21d. All cows received a basal diet formulated with a 56:44 forage:concentrate ratio. Dietary treatments consisted of the basal diet (control; no fat supplement), and the basal diet supplemented with SO (unrefined oil; 500g/d per cow) and HVO (manufactured from palm oil; 500g/d per cow). Milk fat yield was lower with HVO compared with control and SO. Cheese chemical composition and sensory profile were not affected by dietary treatment. Vaccenic (C18:1 trans-11) and oleic (C18:1 cis-9) acids were higher for SO than for control and HVO. Compared with control and HVO, SO decreased saturated FA and increased monounsaturated FA. The thrombogenic index of milk and cheese produced when cows were fed SO was lower than when cows were fed on control and HVO. The outcome of this study showed that, compared with control and HVO, supplementing dairy cow diets with SO improves milk and cheese FA profile without detrimental effects on the chemical composition of milk and cheese and the sensory characteristics of cheese.

Economic Sustainability of Organic Dairy Sheep Systems in Central Spain

Sheep production systems in regions with a Mediterranean climate are important in social, economic and environmental terms. Modeling these systems allows, among others, evaluation of the costs efficiencies which in turn permits assessing the expected effects of changes in production variables. This paper presents a prototype analysis of the economic sustainability of ecological dairy sheep systems of Castilla-La Mancha, Central Spain evaluated through the estimation of costs efficiencies. Costs functions were developed using data from 31 farms. Rate of supplementary feeding, labour use, and flock size were used to measure the cost efficiency. On average, cost efficiency was 61.7±15.5%, with significant differences among typological groups. High efficiency was found in only 29% of the farms. The economic analyses performed suggest that the continued existence of economically unsustainably farms is explained by the available subsidies, lack of amortization of fixed assets leading to progressive decapitalization, and subsistence incomes by family groups (gross family income).

Short communication: Discrimination between retail bovine milks with different fat contents using chemometrics and fatty acid profiling

We used a multivariate chemometric approach to differentiate or associate retail bovine milks with different fat contents and non-dairy beverages, using fatty acid profiles and statistical analysis. We collected samples of bovine milk (whole, semi-skim, and skim; n = 62) and non-dairy beverages (n = 27), and we analyzed them using gas-liquid chromatography. Principal component analysis of the fatty acid data yielded 3 significant principal components, which accounted for 72% of the total variance in the data set. Principal component 1 was related to saturated fatty acids (C4:0, C6:0, C8:0, C12:0, C14:0, C17:0, and C18:0) and monounsaturated fatty acids (C14:1 cis-9, C16:1 cis-9, C17:1 cis-9, and C18:1 trans-11); whole milk samples were clearly differentiated from the rest using this principal component. Principal component 2 differentiated semi-skim milk samples by n-3 fatty acid content (C20:3n-3, C20:5n-3, and C22:6n-3). Principal component 3 was related to C18:2 trans-9,trans-12 and C20:4n-6, and its lower scores were observed in skim milk and non-dairy beverages. A cluster analysis yielded 3 groups: group 1 consisted of only whole milk samples, group 2 was represented mainly by semi-skim milks, and group 3 included skim milk and non-dairy beverages. Overall, the present study showed that a multivariate chemometric approach is a useful tool for differentiating or associating retail bovine milks and non-dairy beverages using their fatty acid profile.

Characterization of cheese consumers in Santiago Province, Chile

A high demand for Chilean cheese has resulted in increased cheese production. This increase represents an opportunity to promote the development of new markets, such as for small ruminant cheeses. However, little has been discussed regarding the extent to which cheese consumers consider small ruminant cheeses. We hypothesized that price is the main determining factor for purchasing cheese. The present study examined this previously unexplored aspect. The objective of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to the purchaser’s response behavior, including purchase, usage and product possession. This study also aimed to provide preliminary information on cheese consumption in the Province of Santiago, Chile. A personal interview was conducted in a sample of 323 individuals in major supermarkets from five municipalities (Santiago, La Florida, Las Condes, Pudahuel, and Recoleta) of Santiago city between March and May 2012. The largest proportion of surveyed individuals were female (62%) who were between 20 to 25 years (34%). The main cheese purchaser of the household was more often the woman (52%; P<0.01). The brand and origin (70%; P≤0.01) and price (30%; P≤0.01) of the cheese were the main aspects considered before making a purchase. Cow’s milk cheese was the predominant cheese type consumed (77%), followed by goat’s milk cheese (6%), cow’s and goat’s milk cheese (15%) and cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk cheese (2%). Of the individuals surveyed, 35% consumed cheese three times per week as a sandwich ingredient. We conclude that consumer fidelity is driven by brand and origin and a preference to use the cheese in sandwiches (81%). Data from this study may be used to determine the most adequate strategy for promoting the sales of small ruminant cheeses. La produccion de queso en Chile esta creciendo debido a un alza en su demanda; este fenomeno podria representar una oportunidad para promover el desarrollo de nuevos mercados (quesos de rumiantes menores), sin embargo, poco se ha investigado sobre el consumo de quesos. La hipotesis que se contrasta es que los sujetos que compran queso en el mercado lo hacen con un grado debil de implicacion, donde el precio del producto es la variable mas importante en el comportamiento de compra. Este estudio tiene por objetivo identificar funciones de respuesta comportamental, para analizar los procesos de adquisicion, utilizacion, y posesion del producto en la Provincia de Santiago en Chile. Un cuestionario personal fue realizado a una muestra de 323 personas en supermercados de cinco comunas (Santiago, La Florida, Las Condes, Pudahuel y Recoleta) de la ciudad de Santiago entre marzo y mayo del 2012. La mayor proporcion de personas encuestadas resulto ser mujeres (62%) entre 20 y 25 anos de edad (34%). Las mujeres (52%; P≤0.01) resultaron ser las personas que se encargan de comprar el queso mientras que marca y origen (70%; P≤0.01) y precio (30%; P≤0.01) fueron los aspectos mas importantes que el consumidor considera antes de realizar la compra de queso. El queso de origen vacuno fue el queso que mas se consume (77%), la diferencia se distribuye en queso de cabra (6%), queso de vaca y queso de cabra (15%) y quienes consumieron queso de vaca, cabra y oveja (2%). Del total de encuestados, el 35% consume queso tres veces a la semana como un ingrediente en sandwiches. Se puede concluir que la accion de compra de queso tiene una debil implicacion, como generalmente se asume, con una aprehension complementaria entre racional y emocional. Ello se explica por una presumible alta tasa de fidelidad a marca/origen en quesos cuya principal caracteristica es ser suave, caracteristica que lo hace apropiado para el fin que se utiliza (81%): sandwich. Los resultados de este estudio podrian ser utilizados para encontrar la forma mas apropiada de ingresar al mercado de quesos de pequenos rumiantes: un uso practico y habitual.