Technology to Produce Ragusano Cheese: A Survey

¹ Consorzio Ricerca Filiera Lattiero Caseria—Progetto Ibleo, Viale Europa 134 Bis, 97100 Ragusa, Italy

A survey was carried out to characterize the composition of milk on 70 farms in the Hyblean region in the Province of Ragusa in Sicily, the processing methods used on the 20 of those farms producing the highest quality Ragusano cheese, and the average composition of the cheese at 4 to 6 mo of age. The milk used for cheese making is predominantly from the Modicana and Brown Swiss breeds, but some farms used Holstein cows. Characterization of the traditional Ragusano cheese manufacturing process (including times, temperatures, and pH) is needed. A flow chart of the average cheese-making conditions necessary for production of Ragusano cheese, has been created as an example of the first step that must be taken to document and preserve traditional cheese varieties that are part of the history and culture in various regions of the world. Ragusano is an aged pasta filata cheese. The process of Ragusano cheese making has some characteristics of cultured Mozzarella and some characteristics of Provolone manufacture. However, differences in the manufacturing and aging processes among the three cheeses produce different flavors and texture. The critical steps in the cheese-making process were identified, and recommendations were provided to cheese makers for practical approaches to improve the consistency of cheese quality. The results from the present study form the basis of future research designed to characterize cheese composition, chemical changes during aging, microbiology, yield, and flavor chemistry of Ragusano cheese.

Key Words: Ragusano • Sicily • cheese making • pastures

Submitted on March 13, 1998
Accepted on August 20, 1998

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