Does the use of ensiled forage affect the sensory properties of fresh cheese?

The present work aimed to evaluate the effects of the forage preservation method (silage vs. hay) on the chemical and sensory characteristics of two artisanal, fresh cheeses: ricotta and ‘primo sale’. A 6-ha dryland field (760 m above sea level) was sown with a legume-grass mixture (Lolium multiflorum, Triticum aestivum cv.Ludwig, Trifolium alexandrinum, Trifolium squarrosum spp.) at a 40–60 ratio. At harvest (early flowering of legumes), half of the forage (3 ha) was chopped at a theoretical length of 1.1 cm and ensiled in plastic film, whereas the other half was air-dried to hay and then stored in 1.2-m-diameter round bales. Three months after the forage harvesting, thirty-two lactating Holstein cows were randomly allocated into 2 groups, silage (S) and hay (H), balanced for DIM (141 ± 76 vs. 141 ± 69 d, respectively, for the S and H group), milk yield (29.6 ± 10.0 vs. 29.0 ± 8.9 kg/ head per d), and milk quality (fat 3.8 ± 0.74 vs. 3.7 ± 0.78%; protein 3.2 ± 0.4 vs. 3.2 ± 0.4%). Group H was fed a TMR containing as the sole forage the experimental hay which for group S was replaced by the experimental silage. A limited amount of the experimental hay (5.0 kg as fed) was included in the silage based TMR to provide a basic level of physically effective fiber. After 10 d of adaptation to the diets, during 3 consecutive morning milk¬ing, bulk milk of each group was separately collected to manu¬facture ‘primo sale’ and ricotta cheeses. Milk and cheeses from each batch of production were collected to be analyzed for macro components, fatty acids (FA) profile, and sensory properties (Quantitative Descriptive Analysis). Data were analyzed with a one-way ANOVA to assess the effects of diet (S and H). The chem¬ical and FA compositions of ricotta and ‘primo sale’ were not affected by the preservation method. Regarding the sensory prop¬erties, the ‘primo sale’ cheese produced on the silage diet was more acidic and saltier (p < 0.05) than that produced on the hay diet. Similarly, S-ricotta was saltier (p < 0.001), but it also scored lower in brightness (p < 0.001) and color intensity (p < 0.05). The consumer panel did not perceive any differences between ricotta and primo sale produced on S and H diets. The results indicate that although experienced panelists may detect little difference, the forage preservation has no effect on consumers’ liking of fresh cheese.