Parmesan cheese is expensive for a reason.
Real Parmigiano Reggioano is only made in very specific regions of Italy and from milk where the cows aren’t fed silage, a fermented cereal common in livestock food. However, as a concerning investigation showed earlier this year, that may not always what you’re buying.
In fact, a number of grated varieties branded as parmesan in the US were found to be inauthentic, with many containing too much cellulose - a widely used anti-clumping agent often added to pre-grated cheeses and ice cream.
The mislabelling means that consumers looking to purchase artisanal Parmigiano Reggiano are left in the dark. To combat this, scientists in Italy have developed a new way to test whether cheese is true Parmigiano Reggiano.
Augusta Caligiani and her team, from the University of Parma, looked at more than 300 samples of cheese using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.
Parmigiano-Reggiano in Collecchio Parma. Source: Getty Images
In their research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they found that there was a visible difference between true Parmigiano Reggiano, where cows are not given silage, and common parmesan-like cheeses such as Grana Padano.
They were also able to determine whether a mix of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano contained more than 10 per cent of the latter.
Given the test is relatively easy to conduct, Caligiani believes it could easily be used to help consumers ensure they get what they pay for.
