Transhumance: the cheese

You should be aware that free grazing animals, on the contrary to those raised only in stable and fed with the modern methods of intensive farming, produce a milk wealthier both in aromatic components and in molecules useful for human health: A and E Vitamins, CLA, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, components influencing human wellness thanks to positive physiological functions, etc...

Milk chemical composition is related to the animal diet and partially to its productiveness. Milk quality is not linked only to fats and proteins, but especially to all those molecules which give taste and brings nutritional important substances.

The majority of these molecules comes form the herbs grazed by the cattle, each herb has its own peculiar chemical composition. More the pasture and the alimentation is rich in biodiversity, and more molecules go from the ruminant’s stomach directly to the blood or are transformed in other substances that from the blood go to the milk. In the stable dairy, the pause of the herb in the field, the production and conditioning of the hay have as consequence a diminution of aromatic and nutritional components.

Another important aspects of the nutritional quality of milk and cheese is linked to the production volumes obtained from the animals: the animal is programmed to give a specific quantity for each molecule. When you ask more, that quantity is diluted in a greater product volume. The research demonstrated that in the ratio between quantity and quality (as for wine productions) there is a mechanism of dilution for each parameter.



Newborn: the Producers Association of the Amatrice & Monti della Laga Pecorino Cheese!!! “Today we know that aroma and nutritional content of cheese is directly linked to the environmental quality and to the kind and number of herbs which compose the feed, because each plant brings different aromatic and nutritional molecules” (took from “Il Glossario della Transumanza” by Roberto Rubino, ARSIA - Regione Toscana, 2008).
The promoters of “The Travel of Transhumance” are aware that the cheese product by cattle grazing “under the sky” has absolutely better organoleptic and nutritional values, and that it helps the landscape protection, biodiversity safeguard, global change effects mitigation (as highlighted in the “Project” page) and rural and mountain territories sustainable development and protection. The promoters are actively involved in the valorisation of typical handicraft cheese by organising meetings, didactics and training among cheese-makers, cheese-sellers and tourists. In this framework the “The Travel of Transhumance” organised the meeting: “Valorisation and enhancement of cheese product of Laga Mountains and Central Apennines” on 2011, October 26th in Amatrice, where was presented the amazing diversity of local cheese production. Other events organised by the promoters are presented under the Italian pages of this website. But the latest achievement in this direction was the creation of the Producers Association of the Local Traditional Pecorino (Sheep) Cheese: "L'Amatriciano - il Pecorino dei Monti della Laga".

More information on milk obtained from free grazing cattle...
You should be aware that free grazing animals, on the contrary to those raised only in stable and fed with the modern methods of intensive farming, produce a milk wealthier both in aromatic components and in molecules useful for human health: A and E Vitamins, CLA, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, components influencing human wellness thanks to positive physiological functions, etc... Milk chemical composition is related to the animal diet and partially to its productiveness. Milk quality is not linked only to fats and proteins, but especially to all those molecules which give taste and brings nutritional important substances. The majority of these molecules comes form the herbs grazed by the cattle, each herb has its own peculiar chemical composition. More the pasture and the alimentation is rich in biodiversity, and more molecules go from the ruminant’s stomach directly to the blood or are transformed in other substances that from the blood go to the milk. In the stable dairy, the pause of the herb in the field, the production and conditioning of the hay have as consequence a diminution of aromatic and nutritional components. Another important aspects of the nutritional quality of milk and cheese is linked to the production volumes obtained from the animals: the animal is programmed to give a specific quantity for each molecule. When you ask more, that quantity is diluted in a greater product volume. The research demonstrated that in the ratio between quantity and quality (as for wine productions) there is a mechanism of dilution for each parameter.