Mountain cheeses are characterized by their strong link to the territory and are testimonial of the cultural heritage. However, there is a lack of traceability and authenticity indicators for most mountain cheeses produced in Europe even though their terroir value is demanded by cheese-makers, consumers and regulatory bodies. The present study investigated the potential and reliability of terpenoids as traceable compounds in Idiazabal PDO cheeses made with raw milk from commercial sheep flocks grazed on lowlands or mountain grasslands. Terpenoids were analysed in individual pasture plants and ripened cheeses. Ingested diets were estimated by microscopic examination of plant residues in sheep faeces, and terpenoid composition of pastures and sheep diets were calculated from isolated plant species analysis. About 100 individual terpenoids were detected in botanical species collected from pastures and 40 compounds in mature cheeses. Important differences were found in the abundance of terpenoids identified in lowland and highland pastures mainly depending on the botanical family and the contribution of each botanical species to both type of grasslands. Estimated sheep diet composition of lowland and highland flocks was different and, in consequence, ingested terpenoids calculated from the estimated diet composition and individual plant terpene analysis were different. The multivariate approach provided robustness in the terpenoid traceability from pasture to cheese selecting individual terpenoids, particularly sesquiterpenoids such as γ-cadinene and aromadendrene, which strongly contributed to discriminate between mountain and valley cheeses. These results can help regulatory bodies to implement effective traceability and authentication procedures to identify mountain cheeses and to protect added-value dairy products.
Keywords: Botanical diversity; Mountain grazing; Ovine cheese; Sheep diet; Terpenoids; Traceability.
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