Sensory and Instrumental Characterization of Parmigiano Reggiano Protected Designation of Origin Cheese Obtained from Milk of Cows Fed Fresh Herbage vs. Dry Hay

Using a multi-analytical approach, this investigation characterized Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese produced with milk from dairy cows fed different diets. Ten samples of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese, aged for 24 months, were produced with milk from dairy cows fed only dry hay (P-DH; N = 6) or a diet with part of the dry hay replaced with fresh herbage (P-FF; N = 4). Instrumental (Flash GC-FID) analysis of the volatile fraction, image analyses, and sensory quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA^®) were carried out. The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese belonging to the P-FF group showed a higher intensity of yellow than P-DH for both sensory and image analyses. Regarding the volatile profiles, no differences were observed related to the two experimental groups, while sensory analyses allowed for some discrimination, in particular color and aroma attributes. Instrumental and sensory characterization can be used to obtain a unique analytical profile for Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheeses produced with milk from dairy cows fed different forage sources and help to define the quality and authenticity of this typical high-value food product.