Salvatore Parisi

The Prediction of Shelf Life Values in Function of the Chemical Composition in Soft Cheeses

The determination of shelf life of food products is one of the most important problems in the modern industry. With reference to this argument, the list of scientific papers is long enough. It should be considered that the food production is subdivided into a number of different fields and subsectors, depending on the typology of raw materials, intermediates, finished products and by-products. In addition, every class of food product can be easily expanded in comparison with the classification of the Codex Alimentarius Commission due to the presence of industrial imitations. Several of these industrial products may be perceived as ‘ameliorated’ versions of the original prototype. The prediction of food durability is certainly influenced by several parameters: the typology of process, the packaging system, the choice of the correct storage condition and other factors. Moreover, the function of food additives should be discussed. The food producer is always responsible for the correctness of nutritional data and other information related to the food product, including the durability. The aim of this paper is to review previous theories and related calculations for the preventive determination of shelf life values in cheeses, especially soft products. These calculations are based on the approximate chemical formulation of the final product. Authors have also discussed the possible modification of predictive equations for a peculiar pasta filata product, the so-called ‘mozzarella cheese in water’.

The Problem of Aqueous Absorption in Processed Cheeses: A Simulated Approach

The production of fresh cheeses has always been in relation to the problem of the determination of cheesemaking yields in terms of kilograms of product per 100 l of original milk. Studies have been carried out in the past in regard to stretched cheeses using cow milk. However, there is little literature on the production and related yields of so-called ‘analogue’ or ‘processed’ cheeses. This argument can be interesting from the viewpoint of the cheesemaking industry. On the other hand, the increasing perplexity of the normal consumer should be considered because of the possibility of purchasing analogue cheeses. These products are surely a declared imitation of traditional cheeses, but they often appear as ‘ameliorated’ versions of the original food. From the analytical viewpoint, the maximum predictable aqueous absorption for milk proteins, especially caseins, seems one of the key points. Consequently, a simulated study on processed cheeses and separated ingredients—rennet caseins above all—can be carried out with the aim of explaining several of the unknown features of analogue cheeses.

Greens and Other Vegetable Foods

This food category is predominant in a Mediterranean diet pattern. The term ‘vegetable food’ includes a highly heterogeneous variety of food items, such as leafy vegetables and analogues, tomato, pumpkin, wild leaf vegetables and weeds, aromatic plants and spices, starchy foods, pulses, fresh fruits and nuts. The nutrient composition taken from two different databases (one in the European Union and the other in the USA) is described and discussed. Some of these foods are consumed as energy sources (such as wheat, rice and potato), as protein sources (pulses) or as a mineral and vitamin supply (greens and fruits). Nevertheless, all have complex compositions supplying a wide variety of nutrients. Given the variety of a large number of factors, from the climate to analytical methodologies, the figures on the composition of food items (obtained from the food databases) should be regarded solely as guidance. Nevertheless, the concentration of the so-called minor components in each food item is highlighted, given the increased awareness of their roles in human health and wellness. In this regard, increasing levels of scientific evidence are being collected on the benefits conveyed by oligosaccharides, dietary fibres, flavonoids (e.g. phytosterols), as well as by many other phytochemicals. In this regard, the European Food Safety Authority granted walnuts a health claim related to cardiovascular health. Many epidemiological studies have correlated a high intake of greens, fruits and other vegetables with lower incidence rates of many non-communicable diseases and lighter body weight. This chapter also makes mention of compounds specific to certain vegetable species and their effects on health. Synergies between several vegetable foods for improved bioavailability and nutraceutical effects of some compounds are also mentioned.

Sweet Compounds in Foods: Sugar Alcohols

Currently, there is a significant demand for food products with alternative sweeteners. Several sugar alcohols may have great potential for use in various food formulations. For instance, xylitol and other sugar alcohols have great potential as sweet compounds, which have low glycaemic indices but also benefit oral health. Continued investigation into their applications in food products will enable us to expand our realisation of the vastly undiscovered potential of sugar alcohols as alternative sweeteners.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet

This chapter discusses the desirable features of the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the current evolution of food habits in the countries forming the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization MD Representative List. Several dietary indexes that measure adherence to the MD are presented and discussed for the countries of the area, as well as from a global perspective. The concept of ‘dietary pattern’ is used here as an integrated approach enabling the identification and quantification of associations between the ‘overall diet’ and specific health/disease outcomes. Some negative effects of adopting a so-called Western or globalized diet are highlighted, namely the increased proportion of processed energy-dense foods in the daily diet, along with a decreasing trend in the consumption of green vegetables and fresh fruits. These behavioural changes can be the result of a dietary transition, in this case with deleterious consequences. On the other hand, the analysis of nutritional epidemiology studies, complemented with information provided by studies at cellular and/or molecular levels, enables the discussion of the multiple associations between the MD, health, well-being and longevity.

Food and Nutrient Features of the Mediterranean Diet

This chapter describes the Mediterranean food pattern as rich in vegetables and characterised by a high consumption of olive oil and a reduced intake of meat and dairy products, particularly liquid milk. The so-called good Mediterranean diet corresponds to the dietary pattern found in the olive-growing areas of the Mediterranean region. The concept is linked to rural communities experiencing a period of economic depression after World War II and before the wide dissemination of the fast-food culture. Despite regional variations, common components and cultural aspects can be identified, namely olive oil as the main source of lipids, the consumption of large amounts of seasonal vegetables, fruits and aromatic herbs (some of them gathered from the wild), as well as small intakes of meat and fish, often replaced or complemented with pulses, as sources of protein. Several global and governmental organizations acknowledge the Mediterranean diet as nutritionally adequate, health-promoting and sustainable because of its emphasis on biodiversity and the intake of small meat portions. In short, Mediterranean-style dietary patterns score highly for health, as well as for estimated sustainability scores, and can be followed in Mediterranean as well as in non-Mediterranean countries.

Fish, Meat and Other Animal Protein Sources

The Mediterranean dietary pattern is based on a reduced intake of foods of animal origin, which provide essential amino acids (those the human body is unable to synthesize), as well as certain minerals and vitamins that are difficult to find or have a reduced bioavailability in vegetables. In this regard, fish is preferable to meat as a protein source, since the associated fats are mainly long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a predominance of n-3, as in sardines, anchovies and codfish. The Mediterranean Sea is less rich in fish than the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic coast is important to Portugal, Spain and Morocco, and Portugal and Spain are among the largest consumers of fish and seafood in the world. It is noteworthy that the composition of meat is highly dependent on how the animal was fed and grown and on the butcher’s cut. In this regard, a lean steak from cows raised in the open air via extensive systems can be less deleterious to health than a piece of broiler chicken raised under an intensive system. In certain cases, total fat can be lower in beef (e.g. lean steak) than in a piece of chicken. Ancient meat preservation methods have been developed mainly for pork and rely on seasoning, smoking, fermentation and drying steps, aiming at reducing pH and water activity, which, in combination with spices, restricts microbial growth. Nowadays, some preservatives are allowed, even in ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ products as chorizo, salami and jamon iberico. The intake of large portions of meat is viewed by many as related to a high socioeconomic status, but excess meat is deleterious to health because of the accumulation of acidic deamination products such as uric acid, which becomes more difficult to eliminate with age, leading to gout, urate kidney stones and other ailments. Moderation of animal protein consumption and an increase in the ratio of vegetables to animal proteins may confer health-protective effects and result in a balanced diet.

Milk and Dairy Products

Milk is the first food of mammals, and breastfeeding has recently been found to be determinant in building up a healthy microbiome. A healthy adult is thought to carry about 2 kg of bacteria in the intestine, affecting immunity, weight balance and even mood. Small ruminants are well adapted to the mountains of the Mediterranean region and are easily handled by small rural communities. Traditional dairy products of these communities are yoghurt and cheese produced from the milk of these small ruminants. Cheese is an ancient fermented food valued for its portability, its longer shelf life than milk, and also for its nutritional value resulting from high amounts of protein, fat, calcium and phosphorus. Cheese also contains essential fatty acids, short-chain fatty acids (such as butyrate) and bioactive peptides (released from the breakdown of caseins). These compounds accumulate during ripening and some of them result from microbial metabolism. In particular, short chain fatty acids and bioactive peptides have recently been noted as beneficial to health and wellness. Many cheeses hold protected designations of origin (PDO), granted by the European Commission, such as ‘Mozzarella di Bufala Campana’, ‘Feta’, ‘Queijo Serra da Estrela’, or ‘Queso de Murcia’. On the other hand, yoghurt is a typical example of a probiotic dairy food. Even if no bifidobacteria or other selected probiotic strains are added, the normal combination of lactic acid bacteria used to ferment milk to yoghurt has the ability to positively affect gut microbiota. Moreover, fermented dairy products are low in lactose, the digestibility of which usually decreases with age. In short, moderate consumption of dairy products, particularly fermented foods, helps provide essential amino acids and some vitamins that may be rare or absent in vegetables. On the other hand, oligosaccharides and dietary fibres (from vegetables) improve the survival of probiotics of dairy origin.

Food Additives for Analogue Cheeses and Traceability: The ExTra Tool

This chapter is explicitly dedicated to a particular and multi-faceted category of entering raw materials (input data) for the production of processed cheeses and cheese imitation products. The entering information in a traceability (tracking and tracing) system for these products has to concern many possible ingredients, including food additives. Different chemicals may be added with various functions when speaking of processed cheeses, but the production of analogue cheeses appears more interesting. In general, the classification of food additives takes into account the particular function(s) these compounds are expected to perform during the production and in the subsequent steps. Moreover, the proposed use of these compounds has to be declared on food labels. At the same time, traceability has to take these information—specific for each possible additive—into account. The aim of this chapter is to describe the complex operations—named joint ‘traceability’—with exclusive concern to ‘minor’ ingredients (food additives) by means of a software product: the ExTra tool. Discussed simulated products are a processed cheese and a general imitation cheese.

Food Traceability System in Europe: Basic and Regulatory Requirements

The role of food traceability systems is critical because of required high standards for foods and beverages. With relation to the industry of cheeses, traceability tools have to take into account the existing regulatory framework, and the European Union has provided a significant contribution in this ambit concerning cheese products and dedicated food-contact materials for cheeses. The aim of this chapter is to provide a detailed overview of the current European regulatory framework. The approach to the European food legislation, regulated on multiple levels, seems to be very intricate because of the enormous amount of technical and very detailed provisions. This legislation can be analysed on two different levels. The first level concerns powers for public authorities and consequently the power of implementing and enforcing food law (information and risk communication, scientific risk assessment and emergency measures). The second one regards the requirements for food business operators. These requirements can be grouped into three different sub-categories: legislation concerning the product, legislation concerning the process (including withdrawal and recall procedures) and legislation with relation to the presentation of food products (labelling, publicity, risk communication). The last point is essential for the final consumer. The above-mentioned requirements, listed in the Regulation (CE) No 178/2002 (the backbone of the whole food security discipline in the EU), are critically discussed with concern to different topics: protection of consumers’ health, alerts at the European level, labelling requirements and traceability.