Parmigiano-Reggiano joins “Safecheese”

The Consortium takes part in "Safecheese", the International project that studies the protective barriers against the development of pathogens present in cheese made from unpasteurised milk.

21st April 2009 - “Safecheese” is a 3-year project established by the “Framework” Research Programme of the European Commission that gathers small and medium-sized cheese makers and the Pera (United Kingdom) and Matforsk (Norwey) research institutes.
A key player of the project is the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium since it represents a significant reference point for raw milk cheese producers. In fact, the purpose of the “Safecheese” project is identifying and developing natural cultures of lactic bacteria originating from raw milk cheeses. The preliminary work carried out by the Norwegian Research Institute Matforsk (now called NOFIMA FOOD), testing 170 samples of cheese (of which 15 were Parmigiano-Reggiano) from 6 European countries, demonstrated that some lactic bacteria can inhibit the growth of pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli that develop in raw milk or come from the production environment.
The project will disseminate the new data on microbial development, both relating to lactic bacteria and to pathogenic bacteria in cheese made from raw milk. This information will contribute to guarantee food safety and it will help dairies to become more competitive, reducing costs whilst increasing product value and consumers’ confidence.

Key Players of the “Safecheese” Project

Pascale Baudonnel - Norsk Gardsost Underdal (Norway)
Gianluca Gambini - Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano Reggio Emilia (Italy)
Ken Johnston - Food Processing Faraday partnership Ltd (United Kingdom)
Esma Kaan - Kaanlar Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. Istanbul (Turkey)
Giuseppe Laratta - Muto Giuliana Liuguna Crotone (Italy)
Nektarios Koskinas Theodorou - Mochlaki Bros Partnership Company Hania-crete (Greece)
Mark Robertson - The Northumberland Cheese Company Ltd Northumberland (United Kingdom)
Carmelo Salvati - CoProLat Società Cooperative Isola Di Capo Rizzuto (Italy)
André Coquard - Coquard Ets Coquard Sarl Villefranche S/S (France)
Donna Palmer - Pera (United Kingdom)
Cathrine Finne Kure - Matforsk Ås (Norwey)